The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University Law School will release its interview with Steve Drummond, author of “The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win WWII,” on Tuesday, January 30, on YouTube. The interview will be conducted by U.S. Senate Historian, Kate Scott.
In “The Watchdog,” Drummond draws the reader into the fast-paced story of how Harry Truman, still a newcomer to Washington politics, cobbled together a bipartisan team of men and women that took on powerful corporate entities and the Pentagon, placing Truman in the national spotlight and paving his path to the White House.
Drawing on the largely unexamined records of the Truman Committee as well as oral histories, personal letters, newspaper archives and interviews, Steve Drummond brings the colorful characters and intrigue of the committee’s work to life. “The Watchdog” provides readers with a window to a time that was far from perfect but where it was possible to root out corruption and hold those responsible to account. It shows us what can be possible if politicians are governed by the principles of their office rather than self-interest.
Drummond is a journalist at NPR in Washington, where he has been a senior editor for more than two decades. He has been a reporter with newspapers in Florida and the Associated Press in Michigan and has written for many publications, including the St. Petersburg Times, the Detroit News, the New York Times, Education Week and Teacher Magazine. He also teaches journalism at the University of Maryland.
For additional information on the interview or the Levin Center, visit https://levin-center.org and click on “events.”
In “The Watchdog,” Drummond draws the reader into the fast-paced story of how Harry Truman, still a newcomer to Washington politics, cobbled together a bipartisan team of men and women that took on powerful corporate entities and the Pentagon, placing Truman in the national spotlight and paving his path to the White House.
Drawing on the largely unexamined records of the Truman Committee as well as oral histories, personal letters, newspaper archives and interviews, Steve Drummond brings the colorful characters and intrigue of the committee’s work to life. “The Watchdog” provides readers with a window to a time that was far from perfect but where it was possible to root out corruption and hold those responsible to account. It shows us what can be possible if politicians are governed by the principles of their office rather than self-interest.
Drummond is a journalist at NPR in Washington, where he has been a senior editor for more than two decades. He has been a reporter with newspapers in Florida and the Associated Press in Michigan and has written for many publications, including the St. Petersburg Times, the Detroit News, the New York Times, Education Week and Teacher Magazine. He also teaches journalism at the University of Maryland.
For additional information on the interview or the Levin Center, visit https://levin-center.org and click on “events.”
