Truman Library Institute

10/09/2026

Few people understand the American banking system from the inside the way Sheila Bair does.

Bair is a Kansas native and the 2026 recipient of the Truman Medal for Economic Policy. She chaired the FDIC from 2006 to 2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and helped steer the nation’s banking system through the 2008 financial crisis.

This week, ahead of accepting the Medal in Kansas City, she joined KCUR 89.3’s Up to Date to talk about where she sees the financial system heading. She spoke about bank capital safeguards, risky lending in private credit, pressure on the Treasury market, and heavy concentration in the AI industry. Her concern is that many of the protections put in place after 2008 have eroded, and that the system is carrying more fragility than people realize.

Bair is also a New York Times best-selling author of financial education books for young readers. Her newest book, “How Not to Lose a Million Dollars,” came out this year.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation: https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2026-10-08/former-fdic-chair-says-u-s-is-slipping-backwards-on-financial-regulation-under-trump

Sheila Bair, a Kansas native who served as the chair of the FDIC from 2006-2011, is in Kansas City this week to accept the Truman Medal for Economic Policy from the Truman Library Institute. Bair said she is worried about the weakening of banking reforms, and sees a lot of risky lending happening ri...

10/07/2026

When the chandelier in the Blue Room started swaying during a Daughters of the American Revolution reception, First Lady Bess Truman went upstairs to investigate. She found the President in the bathtub. The President joked about a potential scenario of him in his bathtub falling through the floor into the midst of the reception "wearing nothing more than his reading glasses."

By the late 1940s, the White House was in such poor shape that engineers declared it unsafe to live in. The Truman family moved across the street to Blair House while Congress weighed its options, and the cheapest one was to tear the mansion down and start over.

Bess Truman rarely sought the spotlight. But she knew Washington, she knew Capitol Hill, and she knew which senators, and the spouses, to talk to, on both sides of the aisle. Her case was simple: demolish the whole building, and the American people would never forgive it. Congress ultimately funded the costlier path, gutting and rebuilding the interior while preserving the historic outer walls that still stand today.

In this short film from Retro Report, Anita McBride, co-author of "Remember the First Ladies," tells the story of the one time Bess Truman used her role as first lady to speak out, and why it mattered.

🎥 Watch:

Retro Report is an independent, nonprofit newsroom creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources.

10/06/2026

The polls said he'd lose in 1948. He won anyway. 🇺🇸

Truman believed leadership was never about chasing the opinion of the moment. It was about right and wrong, and the fortitude to act on it.

10/05/2026

in 1947, television cameras came inside the White House for the first time.

President Truman went on the air to ask Americans for help. Europe was still recovering from World War II, and drought, floods, and a harsh winter had left millions facing hunger. Truman worried that without American food aid, the recovery effort his administration had proposed (what became the Marshall Plan) could fail.

His request was simple: no meat on Tuesdays, no poultry or eggs on Thursdays, and save a slice of bread every day. He also asked farmers and distillers to cut back on grain.

Few Americans saw the broadcast, because TV sets were still rare and most families got their news from the radio. FDR had appeared on television at the 1939 World's Fair, but this was the first presidential address broadcast from the White House. It began a relationship between the presidency and television that would change how presidents campaign, govern, and speak to the nation.

Did anyone in your family remember Meatless Tuesdays? Share their stories below. 👇

Learn more: https://www.trumanlibraryinstitute.org



📸 Credit: Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum

09/30/2026

77 years ago today, the last plane of the Berlin Airlift touched down in West Berlin. 🇺🇸✈️

In June 1948, the Soviet Union cut off every road, rail line and waterway into West Berlin, leaving more than two million people facing starvation. President Truman's advisors offered him hard choices: force the land routes open and risk war, or abandon the city.

Truman chose neither. Instead, Allied aircrews flew food, coal, medicine, building materials, and even hay for horses over the blockade. They kept it up around the clock for 15 months. Mechanics worked 24 hours a day to keep the planes flying, and by the end, more than 2.3 million tons of cargo had reached the city. That's like delivering the Empire State Building six times.

The Berlin Airlift was America's first major test of resolve in the Cold War and one of the largest humanitarian missions in history. It proved that the United States could stand firm without firing a shot.

We also remember the airmen and civilians who lost their lives carrying out this mission.

Did someone in your family serve in or live through the Berlin Airlift? We'd love to hear their story in the comments. 👇

Read more: https://www.trumanlibraryinstitute.org/berlin-airlift-ends/

09/24/2026

Bess Truman remains one of the least-understood first ladies in America’s 250-year history.

That’s why we’re excited to share Anita McBride's essay on Bess for In Pursuit USA, a national civics project from More Perfect exploring lessons from U.S. presidents and first ladies.

Who was Bess Wallace Truman behind the public persona? And what part did she play in one of America’s most consequential presidential administrations?

📖 Read Anita McBrides’s essay here: https://www.inpursuit.org/lessons/integrity-is-the-foundation-of-influence

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Photo courtesy of TrumanLibrary.gov

09/22/2026

What can a four-star admiral—and one of America’s most prominent voices on leadership—learn from Harry Truman?

Admiral Bill McRaven brings his perspective to President Truman in the latest essay from In Pursuit USA, a national project from More Perfect exploring lessons from America’s presidents and first ladies.

A retired four-star admiral and former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, McRaven spent 37 years in the Navy and later served as chancellor of the University of Texas System. He is widely known for his writing and speaking on leadership.

Now, he turns his attention to Harry Truman.



Photo courtesy of TrumanLibrary.gov

Admiral Bill McRaven writes about Harry Truman and the principle behind the sign on his desk: the buck stops here.

Truman inherited the presidency with 82 days as vice president, no briefing on the Manhattan Project, and a war still raging on two fronts.

Read the full essay: https://inpursuit.substack.com/p/harry-s-truman-by-william-mcraven

09/21/2026

Ready to lead differently? At the Truman Presidential Library & Museum, our White House Decision Center puts your team in the room where history's toughest calls were made.

The WHDC is an immersive, role-based simulation that drops participants into real historical leadership dilemmas — fast-paced, collaborative, and built to sharpen the same skills your team uses every day: communication, critical thinking, and decisive strategy under pressure. No two sessions are alike; every experience is customized to your organization's goals, whether that's building trust, boosting creativity, or strengthening how your team works together.

Groups who've gone through it — from FEMA to Walmart's Leadership Academy — walk away with a new appreciation for how tough decisions actually get made, and what it takes to lead through uncertainty.

Corporate teams, nonprofits, government and military groups, and professional organizations have all found value in the experience. Could your team be next?

Learn more and book your team's experience: https://ow.ly/T82150ZN7Rs

09/18/2026

Calling all teachers! 📚 Join us this September for two free professional development workshops at the Truman Library, in partnership with Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, the Adams Presidential Center, and Retro Report.

Founding Friends, Founding Foes — Thursday, Sept 24, 8:30am–12:30pm
Explore the complicated civic friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson alongside Harry Truman's own complex relationships with his cabinet and military leaders. This session digs into civil discourse and what it takes to navigate disagreement. The first 12 registrants from Missouri or Kansas will receive a $75 stipend for substitute funding, thanks to the Missouri and Kansas Councils for History Education. Space is limited — grab your seat today! https://ow.ly/PfaB50ZMO7n

Professional Development with Retro Report — Saturday, Sept 26, 9:00am–3:00pm
Learn from Retro Report's classroom-ready video approach to bringing history to life, funded in part by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. You'll pick up practical strategies for using the LOC collection with students, then spend the afternoon in the White House Decision Center and exploring the museum. A $150 stipend is paid upon completion. This workshop is currently at capacity — join the waitlist today!
https://ow.ly/JVXQ50ZMO7o

Coffee, lunch, and museum admission are included with both. We can't wait to see you!