[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 62 (Thursday, May 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E782-E783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF MICHAEL BESCHLOSS, 2004 RECIPIENT OF THE HARRY S 
                    TRUMAN AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 6, 2004

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of 
Michael R. Beschloss, who is receiving the 2004 Harry S Truman Award 
for Public Service from the City of Independence at the Truman 
Presidential Museum and Library on May 7, 2004. After President 
Truman's death on December 26, 1972, the City of Independence 
established this award to honor an outstanding individual who possesses 
the qualities of Harry S Truman. Since 1974, the annual award has 
honored individuals who have demonstrated ``dedication, industry, 
ability, honesty and integrity'' in their significant contributions to 
our country.
  This year's recipient is the award winning historian and highly 
acclaimed author, Michael Beschloss. Last year, Beschloss generously 
agreed to be the keynote speaker for the Truman Presidential Library 
and Museum ``Wild About Harry'' fundraiser. Mr. Beschloss received rave 
reviews, as he captivated the audience with his humor and knowledge of 
presidential history. In his presentation, Mr. Beschloss said, ``There 
is library so much on the cutting edge of what a library should do than 
the Truman Library.'' Mr. Beschloss's participation was the laudable 
attraction that generated the funds to ensure the expansion of 
educational programs and exhibits at the Truman Library. With seven 
books to his credit, Newsweek has called him ``the nation's leading 
Presidential historian,'' and he has found a number of venues to pursue 
his career. As a respected author, essayist, editor, and television 
commentator, he continually lends an insightful eye to his informative 
and authoritative commentary and analysis of current and historic 
events in American culture. Beschloss has taken us behind the scenes in 
his research of many of the presidents since Roosevelt.
  Like President Harry S Truman, Michael Beschloss found common ground 
in the belief that men are driven by history. President Truman stated, 
``It takes men to make history, or there would be no history. History 
does not make the man.'' Michael Beschloss has traditionally examined 
the inner workings of the presidency and political events throughout 
his publications and media appearances. His research has led him to 
explore presidential decision making and pinpoint administrative 
paradigm shifts in his analysis of new directions and he has explained 
their impact on domestic and foreign affairs.
  President Truman said, ``My debt to history is one which cannot be 
calculated. I know of no other motivation which so accounts for my 
awakening interest as a young lad in the principles of leadership and 
government.'' Michael Beschloss has examined the principles and actions 
of our nation's leaders and his writing is distinguished with analysis 
and illumination of the political process. For the past twenty years, 
he has articulated the deeper layers of thought and action that color 
the American political process, and he has earned the status as one of 
the most trusted experts on Presidents and the election process.

[[Page E783]]

  It was Mr. Beschloss's senior honors thesis at Williams College that 
launched his writing career. The writing project evolved into his first 
book, Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance, published in 1980. 
May Day: Eisenhower, Khrushchev and the U-2 Affair followed in 1986. 
The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Khrushchev, 1960-1963, published in 1991, 
won the Ambassador Book Prize. In 1993, Mr. Beschloss co-wrote At the 
Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War. He has 
written two volumes of a trilogy on the Lyndon B. Johnson presidency, 
published in 1997 and 2001: Taking Charge and Reaching for Glory. Both 
are based on President Johnson's secret White House tapes and have been 
received with high praise. Research at the Truman Presidential Museum 
and Library provided material for his seventh book, a best seller, The 
Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 
1941-1945. His insights into the influences on presidential staff 
debates throughout the war, including what to do with Germany at war's 
end, have received critical acclaim.
  In addition to his best selling book career, Michael Beschloss is a 
trustee of the White House Historical Association, the National 
Archives Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the Urban 
Institute, and the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public 
Affairs. He has cultivated his talent and expertise through his 
experiences at Williams College and Harvard University, his service on 
the staff of the Smithsonian from 1982-1986, as a Senior Associate at 
Oxford University, 1986-87, and as a Senior Fellow at the Annenberg 
Foundation, 1988-96. Mr. Beschloss can be seen on PBS's The News Hour 
and is a consultant to ABC News.
  It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Michael Beschloss on 
his distinguished career and his many contributions to greater 
understanding of American culture through his research and analysis. I 
am proud that the City of Independence has selected him for recognition 
this year. He is most deserving of this honor. He shares President 
Truman's belief that an understanding of history is essential to 
leadership in world affairs. Mr. Speaker, please join me in warm 
congratulations to Michael R. Beschloss, this year's recipient of the 
2004 Harry S Truman Award for Public Service, in recognition of his 
outstanding contribution to the evaluation and preservation of history. 
I applaud his contribution to the Truman Library and Museum and to our 
world.

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