American History wynn w Historical Dictionaries of U.S. Historical Eras, No. 10 w he 1930s were dominated by economic collapse, stagnation, and mass Tunemployment, enabling the Democrats to recapture the White House and w embark on a period of reform unsurpassed until the 1960s. Roosevelt’s New Deal laid the foundations of a welfare system that was further consolidated by roosevelt–truman roosevelt–truman American involvement in World War II and Allied victory in Europe and in Asia. This economic recovery also brought enormous demographic and social changes, HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF THE OF DICTIONARY HISTORICAL some of which continued after the war had ended. But further political reform was limited because of the impact of the Cold War and America’s new role as the leading superpower in the atomic age. era Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era examines signifi cant individuals, organizations, and events in American political, economic, social, and cultural history between 1933 and 1953. The turbulent history of this period is told through the book’s chronology, introductory essay, bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on key people, institutions, events, and other important terms. Neil a. wynn is professor of 20th-century American history at the University of Gloucestershire. HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF THE w roosevelt–truman w w era For orders and information please contact the publisher Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefi eld Publishing Group, Inc. COVER DESIGN by Allison Nealon 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 Lanham, Maryland 20706 ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5616-5 1-800-462-6420 • fax 717-794-3803 ISBN-10: 0-8108-5616-6 www.scarecrowpress.com 90000 COVER IMAGE: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (right) neil a. wynn and Harry S. Truman (left), December 31, 1943. 9 780810 856165 Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images HD Roosevelt–Truman Era.indd 1 5/27/08 4:26:53 PM HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF U.S. HISTORICAL ERAS Jon Woronoff, Series Editor 1. From the Great War to the Great Depression, by Neil A. Wynn, 2003. 2. Civil War and Reconstruction, by William L. Richter, 2004. 3. Revolutionary America, by Terry M. Mays, 2005. 4. Old South, by William L. Richter, 2006. 5. Early American Republic, by Richard Buel Jr., 2006. 6. Jacksonian Era and Manifest Destiny, by Terry Corps, 2006. 7. Reagan–Bush Era, by Richard S. Conley, 2007. 8. Kennedy–Johnson Era, by Richard Dean Burns and Joseph M. Siracusa, 2008. 9. Nixon–Ford Era, by Mitchell K. Hall, 2008. 10. Roosevelt–Truman Era, by Neil A. Wynn, 2008. Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt– Truman Era Neil A. Wynn Historical Dictionaries of U.S. Historical Eras, No. 10 The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland • Toronto • Plymouth, UK 2008 SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefi eld Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecrowpress.com Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom Copyright © 2008 by Neil A. Wynn All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wynn, Neil A. Historical dictionary of the Roosevelt-Truman era / Neil A. Wynn. p. cm. -- (Historical dictionaries of U.S. historical eras ; no. 10) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5616-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8108-5616-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. United States—History—1933–1945—Dictionaries. 2. United States— History—1945–1953—Dictionaries. 3. United States—Politics and government—1933–1945—Dictionaries. 4. United States—Politics and government—1945–1953—Dictionaries. 5. United States—Biography— 20th century—Dictionaries. I. Title. E806.W96 2008 973.91703—dc22 2008004628 ϱ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America. In Memory of Hilda Wynn (1912–2006) Contents Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff ix Preface xi Acronyms and Abbreviations xiii Chronology xvii Introduction 1 THE DICTIONARY 27 Appendixes A. Presidential Administrations, 1933–1953 445 B. Constitutional Amendments 449 Bibliography 453 About the Author 497 vii Editor’s Foreword The United States has rarely had to face more serious challenges than in the two decades from 1933 to 1953. The three most daunting ones were the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War, but many oth- ers tested two exceptional presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. More forceful and flamboyant, FDR reacted with a first and then a second round of New Deal measures, introducing some of the most far-reaching reforms ever seen. Harry S. Truman, not initially voted into the job and coming toward the end of the world war, none- theless grew into the presidency and prepared the country for another phase of conflict—not always a shooting war but still one that could destroy the United States and the rest of the world. On this background, partially spawned by it, a continuing series of reforms was adopted that revamped the economy and created the welfare state and also improved the situation of racial minorities, especially African Americans, women, and working people in general. This all took place within the frame- work of wider changes in society and culture, with the emergence of radio, television, and cinema and flourishing of literature and the arts. Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era is thus a crucial volume, for it shows how the United States was transformed, changing from a country in which government played a minor role to one where it was the major player, and also from a world in which the United States was just another nation to one in which it was the leader of the “free world.” This transformation can most readily by grasped by tracing the many often fateful events in the chronology. Just how these events came about and how they relate to one another is examined in the intro- duction. The details are set forth in several hundred dictionary entries on significant people—not only figures in government or the military, but also in the economy, society, and culture—and entries on the more noteworthy events—whether on the home political scene or abroad, as ix x • EDITOR’S FOREWORD well as more general entries on major trends and some lesser fashions. Meanwhile, the list of acronyms helps navigate the alphabet soup of new agencies and organizations. The bibliography, a rather comprehen- sive yet selective one, allows readers to follow up on specific aspects. This book is written by Neil A. Wynn, which is fortunate for two reasons. He is one of the leading authorities on the period, having taught history and American studies of the 20th century first at the University of Glamorgan in Wales and more recently at the University of Glouces- tershire. During his more than 30 years as an academic, he has written numerous articles and chapters, as well as several books, and edited or coedited two other works, the most relevant being The Afro-American and the Second World War (1976) and America’s Century: Perspectives on U.S. History since 1900 (1993). He has also already written a book in the Historical Dictionaries of U.S. Historical Eras series, Historical Dictionary from the Great War to the Great Depression (2003). This gives him a better understanding of how the earlier period impacted the latter and also permits a more seamless connection between the two. In addition, together these two books offer readers a broader and deeper view of an often troubled period in American history and one that pointed the United States in directions it is still following today. Jon Woronoff Series Editor Preface It would be hard to imagine two decades more filled with major events and developments than the 1930s and 1940s, so much so that I was re- luctant to take on the task of compiling this dictionary. Having done so, I found my worst fears justified as it became a work that required twice as much time to complete as originally anticipated. That the book was finished at all was due to Jon Woronoff’s patience and also that of my long-suffering wife, Regina, who was forced to spend many an evening and weekend alone while I labored on the task. The work was to some extent made possible by the support allowed by the Department of Hu- manities at the University of Gloucestershire, through the provision of time to spend in the libraries. Despite this, I still suspect one volume cannot do full justice to these two decades. I discovered many gaps in my own knowledge, and in making inevitable choices about what or whom to leave out, I am sure that I will disappoint many experts in the field. This is particularly likely to be true in the sphere of culture and entertainment, as these were enormously creative years. In the end, even with having been granted extra space, I was forced to include only those I thought were the most significant figures or developments in these fields; however, I hope I have managed to give a sense of the key changes in those areas while concentrating on the major political and international developments. I dedicate this dictionary to the memory of my mother, Hilda Wynn, who lived through all the decades I have writ- ten about but sadly did not survive to see this book completed.