There is a long history of plots against the life of the US Chief executive. One of the most Brazen seems little remembered today, and, in fact, was quickly lost in the news cycle even when it occurred due to events elsewhere in the world. But the violent attempt on President Harry Truman’s life in 1950 deserves to be remembered.
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.