---
aliases:
- Harry Truman
born: 1884-05-08
category: Intelligence & Government
died: 1972-12-26
location: Lamar, Missouri
summary: 33rd U.S. President who declined Israeli military offers during the Korean
  War, reportedly fearing a binding security arrangement with Israel.
tags:
- Person
- Politician
- Israel
---

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the [United States](/places/united-states/), serving from 1945 to 1953. He declined [David Ben-Gurion](/people/david-ben-gurion/)'s offer to send Israeli troops to fight alongside [United Nations](/organizations/united-nations/) forces in South Korea, reportedly fearing it would back him into a security arrangement with [Israel](/places/israel/).[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2.