Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum

Advanced reservations are required. Timed-entry tickets may be purchased at TrumanLibrary.org. One of only 14 U.S. Presidential Libraries, the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum's exhibits chronicle the Missourian's private life and political career -- with exhibits depicting his most difficult decisions like using the atomic bomb, the Cold War and recognizing Israel. President Truman and his wife, Bess, their daughter Margaret Truman Daniel and her husband E. Clifton Daniel, are buried in the museum's courtyard. Museum visitors can also see two of Truman's offices -- the actual office he used at the Library from 1957-1966 and a replica of his Oval Office with a recorded message from him about the contents. The museum's historical collection consists of approximately 30,000 objects -- including hundreds of Truman family possessions, political memorabilia, diplomatic gifts and 1,300 letters from the Truman courtship and marriage. Truman's two-term tenure is considered by many historians as one of the most-eventful and most-studied periods in American history. Ascending to the presidency following Franklin D. Roosevelt's death in April 1945, Truman grappled with several controversial decisions-including the release of the atomic bomb, the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), recognizing the State of Israel, and the Executive Order which ended racial discrimination in federal employment and ordered the desegregation of the armed services. His administration was also responsible for the establishment of the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. Dedicated in July 1957, the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum was the second Presidential Library to receive national designation but the first to be created under the 1955 Presidential Libraries Act. The Truman Library is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported in part by its nonprofit partner, the Truman Library Institute.