A panel discussion was held on presidents as commanders-in chief by looking at the nature of modern U.S. military engagements and foreign policy, learning from key conflicts over the past 60 years, and gaining perspective on America’s strategies and aims in Iraq and Afghanistan. Topics included the U.S. government’s post-World War II communism containment policies, the Cold War Soviet threat, and the post-September 11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also during this conversation, Senator Evan Bayh recalled, as a six-year old, meeting former President Harry Truman. Former Nebraska Senator and Governor Bob Kerrey moderated.
The Fourth Annual Howard and Virginia Bennett Forum on the Presidency, “Presidents at War: Korea to Afghanistan,” was held at Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. It was the final event in a series of programs the Truman Library Institute offered in 2010 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.