More than 50 years after the death of the Man from Missouri, historian John Robert Greene reevaluates a major – and ultimately scandalous – component of President Harry S. Truman’s administration: his staffing.

During Truman’s time in the senate and as vice president, his best friend and Army buddy, Harry Vaughan rarely left his side. When Truman ran for office, he hired the completely unqualified Vaughan as the campaign’s treasurer and chief fundraiser, and he eventually rose to the rank of chief military aide to the president.

Described as “earthy, unfiltered, and often vulgar,” Vaughan did as he pleased, secure in the knowledge that Truman would never fire him. This became a problem when he opened the West Wing’s doors to men who were often no better than common criminals.

In his seventh appearance at the Library, historian Greene discusses his latest book, Little Helpers: Harry Vaughan, His Cronies, and Corruption in the Truman Administration. This cautionary tale about blind loyalty to a friend raises urgent questions about the abuse of power that cronyism engenders.

Greene is the author of many books, including I Like Ike: The Presidential Election of 1952, The Presidency of George W. Bush, and Betty Ford: Candor and Courage in the White House.

This previously recorded event is exclusively on the Library’s YouTube channel.