ABSTRACT
Walter White had followed Truman's rise from local political hack to senator and then Roosevelt's vice presidential running mate in 1944. With Roosevelt's sudden death in April 1945, Truman becomes president. Charming Tobias, director of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), tried to play on Truman's fear that racial violence would damage America's international reputation. He told the president, that he had heard loud complaints about America's racial problems during his recent trips to Europe and Africa. In April, Truman fired McGrath for refusing to investigate corruption among federal officials. His new attorney general, James P. McGranery, seemed determined to pursue the Moore case. In October, McGranery told the press that he had found evidence of violations of civil rights statutes and other federal laws. By 1926, there were more than 130,000 blacks in the key voting districts in St. Louis and Kansas City, and Truman openly courted them during his various state campaigns.
