Clifton Truman Daniel
In a speech later this month, the oldest grandson of former president Harry S. Truman will discuss his grandfather’s decision to use the world’s first atomic weapons at the end of World War II, a momentous decision that depended, at least in part, on work done in Oak Ridge.
Clifton Truman Daniel will also share insights about his grandfather’s life after Truman left the White House, and Daniel will discuss a family trip to Japan in 2012 for the 67th anniversary of the World War II bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Daniel will be in Oak Ridge on Thursday, March 28. His speech is hosted by the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. It’s open to the public, and tickets are $20.
A press release said Daniel wanted to learn both sides of the story by visiting Oak Ridge, as well as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, the two cities bombed by the United States with nuclear weapons at the end of World War II.
Oak Ridge and its facilities, including the uranium-enriching K-25 and Y-12 plants, were part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, a federal program to build the first atomic bombs.
“I think it’s important that both sides get to tell their stories and both sides listen to those stories,†Daniel said.
The press release said Daniel is the son of the late E. Clifton Daniel Jr., former managing editor of The New York Times, and Margaret Truman, a best-selling mystery writer. He wrote the 2011 book “Dear Harry, Love Bess: Bess Truman’s Letters to Harry Truman, 1919-1943,” and the book, “Growing Up With My Grandfather: Memories of Harry S. Truman.”
Daniel is the former public relations director for the Harry S. Truman College in Chicago and was also a feature reporter for The Wilmington Star News in Wilmington, N.C. He and his wife have three sons and live in Chicago.
The March 28 speech starts at 7 p.m. at the New Hope Center at the Y-12 National Security Complex. The New Hope Center is at 602 Scarboro Road.
A reception will be held in the New Hope Center lobby immediately after the speech. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Daniel, ask questions, and tell their personal stories from living and working in the Secret City, the press release said.
“I’m excited and happy to tell the people of Oak Ridge anything about my grandfather,” Daniel said. “However, this trip is going to be a great education for me as well. I’m looking forward to being there, hearing from the people of Oak Ridge, and learning the stories of this community.”
Tickets can be purchased by visiting the ORHPA website at www.orhpa.com. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the door the night of the event. Paper tickets may also be purchased at The Ferrell Shop at 235 Jackson Square in Oak Ridge.
For information about joining ORHPA, call Donna Bennett at (865) 719-6398 or Anne McBride at (865) 304-3225.
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