A.J. Baime takes on the dramatic story of Harry Truman’s first four months in office, when, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the small-town farmer and haberdasher stepped into FDR's shoes to take on Germany, Japan and Stalin. Heroes are often defined as ordinary characters who get thrust into extraordinary circumstances and, through courage and a dash of luck, cement their place in history. When Truman was chosen as vice president for his well-praised work ethic, good judgment and lack of enemies, he was still an obscure Missouri politician. But during the founding of the United Nations, the Potsdam Conference, the Manhattan Project, the Nazi surrender, the liberation of concentration camps and the decision to drop the atomic bomb to end World War II, Truman had to play both judge and jury. Tightly focused and meticulously researched using previously unavailable papers, The Accidental President escorts readers into the president's situation room during these tumultuous 120 days.