Harry S. Truman, the thirty-third president, was a man who took on the role of president with a responsible attitude. His campaign slogan "The buck stops here" reflected his strong belief that the President was ultimately responsible to the American people. Harry Truman not only triumphed in the nation, by building better employment and housing laws, but he excelled in foreign policy as well, by setting up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and with the Truman Doctrine. Truman was able to contain communism, as well as bring an end to the Second World War. He may not be considered a great president, but Truman brought on many changes in the way we live and in the way we deal with foreign policy. President Truman was able to overcome many hardships considering that he had been thrown into his first term and had to replace a man that was this country’s best friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, after he died halfway through his fourth term. President Truman is a near great president because of the way he dealt with foreign policy and domestic relations.

In 1996 the New York Times published their version of the Schlesinger poll. The New York Times presidential poll asked thirty-two historians to find their rankings of the Presidents. Depending on how many votes each president obtained, they where placed in one of the following categories: Great, Near Great, Average, Below Average, and Failure. President Truman ranked 6^th in the Near Great category and 9^th out of all the presidents, from Washington to Eisenhower, excluding Harrison and Taylor because neither president completed a full term. The Chicago Tribune ran a poll similar to the Schlesinger poll in 1982. The Chicago Tribune asked forty-nine historians to rank all the presidents, from Washington to Carter. President Truman ranked 8^th out of thirty-eight presidents.

A president ranking in the Schlesinger and other polls depends on how well he fills the seven roles of the presidency. Those seven roles that he needs to fill are: The Chief of State, the Commander in Chief, the Chief Guardian of the Economy, the Chief Diplomat, the Party Chief, the Chief Legislator, and the Chief Executive. Each role covers a different area, from foreign policy to domestic relations.

The seven roles of the presidency are the basic outline of how a president should govern his country. According to the roles a president must work well with other countries, can resolve domestic and foreign problems, is an active legislator, knows what is good for the economy, and can help his own party members. If a President can fill each role successfully then he is truly a great President.

The Chief of State is a role that "requires a President to be an inspiring example for the American people. As the American Chief of State, the President is a living symbol for the nation." Truman filled this role easily because of World War II. Truman handed out a countless number of medals to returning POW’s. Truman also kept up the tradition the FDR had started during the great depression, the fireside chats. Truman used the power of radio to rally the American public and make them feel better about their lives. Truman was able to comfort the nation after FDR’s death and rally them against the enemy once again, even thought he did not accomplish much in the Chief of State role what he did was enough.

In the role of Chief Guardian of the Economy "the President is concerned with such things as unemployment, high prices, taxes, business profits, and the general prosperity of the country. He does not control the economy, but he is expected to help it run smoothly." Truman filled this role by creating jobs for many of the men coming back from the war by passing a full employment program. Truman had proved that he could mange the economy even before he became president, he’d headed the Senate’s investigation of overspending in the war budget. Then, Truman passed the Fair Employment Practices Act, which created jobs of many blacks, whites, women, and other minorities. He created a 21-point program that called for full employment, labor-management cooperation, increased unemployment compensation, extension of price controls, federal aid to education, guarantees of civil rights, and increased minimum wage. Truman also sought support for a legislative program known as the Fair Deal, which would comprise government control of Credit exports and rents, an increase in taxes, government support of low-rent housing and government-sponsored health insurance. Most of his economic decisions dealt with employment, taxes, and housing because Truman knew that the best way to help the economy was to get people back to work and into house’s. He understood that the country needed to invest and trust their government with money, for the economy to grow.

The President as Commander-in-Chief "is in charge of the United States armed forces. He decides where troops shall be stationed, where ships shall be sent, and how weapons shall be used. All military generals and admirals take their orders from him." Truman accomplished much under the Commander-in-Chief mostly because of the war, but also because he knew when and how to make crucial decisions. He helped bring the Second World War, in Europe and Japan, to an end after four long years. Truman made the crucial decision to drop the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, after Japan rejected a plea to surrender. The Truman Doctrine, named after the President, established a plan to help all countries that were being pressed by aggression, to help with everything from guns to planes and from soldiers to platoons. The Marshall plan, with was named after Truman’s Secretary of State, George Marshall, was a part of the Truman Doctrine. The Marshall plan proposed a plan to help Europe reestablish its economy. Truman knew that war did just end when someone surrendered. There was much to be done in Europe and he was dedicated to helping them get back on their feet. Truman’s next plan would set up the well-known organization of today, NATO. NATO or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization guaranteed the mutual defense and assistance of countries that signed it. NATO is still in effect today; NATO is involved in the Kosovo bombings in the Middle East. The Baruch Plan, which, was next and was never put into effect, "called for turning over atomic bombs and secrets to the UN". The Baruch Plan was an effort on the United States part to control the amount of weapons each country had, and to keep the communist countries from taking over any nation that had the power to, or had already developed an atomic bomb. Truman could be ranked as a great president under this category just because of all that he accomplished in World War II. The Second World War was a great help in pushing President Truman into the Near Great category.

Although President Truman had many ups in battles he had quite a few downs as well. The Truman administration relied on the public’s dislike of the Germans to keep going during the war. The Presidency had stated very early on in the war that, "We will not do as the German’s do." Meaning that the United States would not bomb civilian targets. Later they would dispatch hundreds and thousands of planes to Hamburg and Berlin, almost completely leveling Hamburg and Burning most of Berlin down. The military would later "cook their books" or change the numbers of the planes and bombs so the American public would believe that the army was bombing the Germans but they weren’t doing it in great numbers like the Germans had.

As the Chief Diplomat, the President’s job is deciding where to send his diplomats and ambassadors, which countries they will visit and what they will say. As the President he will work closely with his advisers when he establishes the foreign policy of the United States. Foreign affairs seemed to be President Truman’s strong point. President Truman started the European Recovery Program, to assist Europe in rebuilding its devastated economy and helped Berliners get food when Russians blockaded the western sectors of Berlin in 1948. He helped when the Soviet Union pressured Turkey and tried to take over Greece in 1947. In 1950 he helped the UN forces try to hold a line above the old boundary of South Korea when Northern Korea attacked Southern Korea. Truman was one of the eighteen countries that signed the Rio Treaty, which promised mutual defense and assistance against aggression for any of the countries that signed. Truman also implemented the Point Four program to aid developing nations. Truman’s most famous program, known as the Truman Doctrine, furnished military and economic aid to countries threatened by aggression and subversion. The Yalta and Potsdam conference were the places where the peace treaties of World War II took place.

As Party Chief, the President helps and supports candidates of his own political party. He helps them to attain office and become appointed to positions. As Party Chief, Truman helped many of his party members obtain seats in the House and the Senate. President Truman was so influential in helping his party members obtain seats in Congress, that year the Democrats won the majority of contested seats in both the House and the Senate.

As the chief legislator the President’s job is to try to get laws he believes the country needs and to make laws that would be good for our country. Even though the President is not really allowed to pass laws on his own he is able to write legislation and try to influence their passage in Congress. Truman was a very active presidential legislator. Truman ‘s presidency is accountable for many employment programs, war plans and other programs. After and during the Second World War, President Truman had the very difficult job of getting American’s back to work and helping them keep their jobs. Truman not only expanded Social Security; he increased the minimum wage as well as working to lower the prices of food and other goods. Truman was not just interested in the United States, he wrote and passed many acts that would work to secure peace in Europe and to contain communism. Many like the Truman Doctrine, the North Atlantic Treaty Origination, the Marshall Plan, and the National Security Act, which set up government offices like the FBI and the CIA. The Point Four Program helped the US to participate "in the planning, realization, and evaluation of technical cooperation projects in agriculture, health, education, resources development, and transportation." Many of President Truman’s acts and bills had to do with life in America. Truman passed things like the Permanent Fair Employment Practices Act, Public Housing and Slum Clearance, Labor-Management Relations Act, and a 21-point program that would raise the minimum wage and help people get low-cost housing. Truman also proposed the expansion of Social Security.

The chief executive’s job is to decide how the laws are to be enforced. He will watch over the government bureau’s like the FBI and the CIA and see if they are being effective. Truman filled this role by establishing the Central Intelligence Agency. Truman also enacted the National Security Act of 1947, which unified the armed services under a secretary of defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff. Truman also helped to establish the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

President Truman was an above average president, not because he ended World War II, but because he improved the every day life of Americans. Truman was able to help our country through a difficult time. He was not afraid to make difficult and unpopular decisions. He was a very capable man, not just a good president.