May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Truman expresses regret over the formation of the CIA, comparing it to a repressive organization.
In this quote, Harry S. Truman conveys his disillusionment with the Central Intelligence Agency, which he helped establish in 1947. He likens its current operations to those of the Gestapo, suggesting that the agency has overstepped its intended role and become a tool of oppression rather than a protector of national security, indicating a broader concern about the abuse of power in government institutions.
Themes
CiaTrumanGestapoPoliticsPowerCorruption
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about government surveillance and civil liberties.
More from Harry S. Truman
All quotes →Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
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The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
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I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
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A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.
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