Truman Presidential Museum & Library

Truman Presidential Museum & Library

Harry Truman, as unlikely a president as any in U.S. history, has nevertheless achieved status as one of the best, making a long string of incredibly difficult decisions and taking full responsibility for the consequences. “The buck,” as the sign on his desk famously said, “stops here.” The Truman Presidential Museum and Library chronicles the life and times of the thirty-third president (in office 1945-1953), and offers access to a remarkable array of research materials, including Truman’s 1947 diary, in which he describes the White House as “this great white jail.”

500 W. U.S. Highway 24, Independence, Missouri, 1-800-833-1225, 816-268-8200, http://trumanlibrary.org