Defense Spending under Scrutiny: The Truman Committee

Origins.

The Truman Committee, officially known as the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, was organized by Sen. Harry S Truman of Missouri. He wanted to contribute to the war effort, but he was too old to serve as an artillery officer, as he had during World War I. Concerned that the money spent on war preparedness was being wasted in corruption and inefficiency, he began his investigation in 1940 by driving thousands of miles to visit military bases and other projects to investigate complaints. Concluding that his concerns were accurate, on 10 February 1941 he delivered a speech to the Senate describing the waste he had uncovered.

Corruption.

The Senate then established a special investigative committee to examine all aspects of war production, placing Truman in charge. While serving on the committee, he approached the issue of war funding with tenacity and caution, vigorously...

[The entire page is 518 words long]

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