ABSTRACT
The presidency seems most likely to house the traditional hero, the exceptional individual of outstanding talent, of all American institutions. Yet Harry S. Truman was a hero, because he made one of the most important decisions in presidential history, the creation of the Marshall Plan for European recovery after the Second World War. As he sadly assumed the presidency, Truman exhibited personal modesty, even spending nights away from the White House for a time. A particular object of Truman's advocacy was the Republican leader on foreign policy, Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg. His reputation was further buttressed among Republicans by his previous contentious relationship with FDR and his insistence on preserving the constitutional role of the Senate in foreign policy through approval of treaties and appropriations. Vandenberg subsequently became the chief author of the 1944 Republican platform's foreign policy plank, favoring an international organization of sovereign states while insisting on Senate approval of treaties.
