Harry S. Truman (1884-1972):

Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United States, succeeding Roosevelt after his death in 1945, just weeks before the Allied victory in Europe. He attended the Potsdam Conference in June, ten days after the first atomic weapon was exploded in New Mexico. He issued the Potsdam Declaration from the conference, demanding Japanese surrender. When the Japanese did not respond and he was informed that at least 500,000 lives would be spared through the use of the bomb, Truman ordered it to be deployed. Truman went on to lead the U.S. for a second term, and through the Korean war. He did not run in 1952, even though he was not bound by the constitutional amendment limiting presidential terms.

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