University Park, PA -- By authorizing the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, President Harry S. Truman assured himself a controversial place in history. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's death near the end of World War II thrust Truman into the oval office at a crucial time in our national story. He was faced with rebuilding a ravaged Europe and Japan, and preventing Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe, while defining a new role for the U.S. on the world stage. At home, Truman was faced with preserving the New Deal, converting a wartime economy, and advancing civil rights.

The third in a six-part film and discussion series, "Harry S. Truman: Cold Warrior" examines Truman's presidency and legacy. The event is free and open to the public and will be held in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library, on Monday, April 1, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Film segments will be shown from Truman, produced and directed by Emmy Award-winner David Grubin. Dr. William Bianco, associate professor of political science at Penn State, will lead the discussion and provide reading lists.

The series "Presidents, Politics, and Power: American Presidents Who Shaped the 20th Century" is a partnership between Schlow Memorial Library and the Social Sciences Library, within Penn State's University Libraries, Together, they make up one of twenty-pilot libraries nationwide selected to participate in this project organized by National Video Resources (NVR) in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office. The project is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the locally sponsoring libraries.

For more information: www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/docs/presidents/ or 814-865-4861.