Truman: Doing What's Right

In David McCullough’s book, “Truman,” there are many insights into the life of our former President. I was only ten years old when this outspoken man stepped out of the office of Vice President and into the office of President following the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Even though I was young, I remember a lot about him.

President Harry S. Truman was a man who lived by his convictions. Everyone always knew where they stood with him because he was never bashful about taking a stand on anything he believed in. He was a professing Christian and a member of a Southern Baptist Church, however, his salty language was an embarrassment to most Christians.

McCullough tells about President Truman visiting Mexico in 1947. At that time, anti-American feelings were rampant among the Mexican people and there was justified concern in Washington about the President visiting there.

During his trip to Mexico, the President unexpectedly changed his itinerary and announced that he would visit Chapultepec Castle, which is the West Point of Mexico. His advisors were against it; all the protocol experts said “you can’t do that,” but President Truman went anyway.

The reason his advisors said he shouldn’t go was because 100 years earlier, during the war between the U.S. and Mexico, U.S. troops captured Chapultepec Castle. They killed everyone except six young Mexican cadets who took their own lives rather than surrender to the U.S. The Mexican government erected a monument at the castle to these six young men.

There at the monument to Los Ninos Heroes at Chapultepec, President Truman placed a wreath and bowed his head in prayer. Then a strange and wonderful thing happened, the cadets in the Mexican Color Guard burst into tears and wept openly!

It’s been said that in the history of the two countries, nothing has ever been done that was so helpful in cementing our relationship with Mexico. In Mexico City, for many years following that incident, taxi drivers would weep at the mere mention of President Harry Truman’s name.

Doing what is right will always be pleasing to the Lord, even if others don’t understand. 1 Chronicles 11:15-19