Talk:Harry S. Truman/FAQ
![]() | Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the corresponding page Harry S. Truman. They address concerns, questions, and misconceptions which have repeatedly arisen on the talk page. Please feel free to change this material in light of new discussion. |
This section is here to provide answers to some questions that have been previously discussed on this talk page.
Note: This FAQ is only here to let people know that these points have previously been addressed, not to prevent any further discussion of these issues.
To view an explanation to the answer, click the [show] link to the right of the question.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Harry_S_Truman_Signature.svg/140px-Harry_S_Truman_Signature.svg.png)
- The Associated Press Stylebook: use "S"
- The Chicago Manual of Style: use "S."
- The MHRA Style Guide: no guidance
- The MLA Style Manual: no guidance
- The United States Government Printing Office Style Manual 2000: use "S."
- Related Talk discussions: [1], [2], [3], [4]
The original editor created the article as "Harry S. Truman" on August 23, 2001. The article has been stable with this title ever since. Per the Manual of Style "When either of two styles is acceptable, it is inappropriate for an editor to change an article from one style to another unless there is a substantial reason to do so."
Surprisingly, for a man of Truman's stature and given the nature of the events that he was involved in, the use of the period is the most discussed topic. See the talk page for current discussions and see the links at the top of the talk page for archived discussions.
Simply changing the "S." within the article will be reverted, as it will no longer match the article title.
To propose that the article be renamed, follow the instructions at requesting potentially controversial moves. Create the discussions as noted and give logical and compelling reasons for changing the article title along with supporting evidence.
The supporting article Bibliography of Harry S. Truman must also be considered.
As of the November 7, 2008 version,[5] there are only five instances where this could be changed:
- article title
- main infobox
- lead
- cabinet infobox
- photo caption
You cannot change the "S." where it is used in a quote or as a proper name. As of the November 7, 2008 version,[6]:
- There is a quote from Time and one from McCullough.
- Book titles used in the article text are Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Year of Decisions and Memoirs by Harry S. Truman: Years of Trial and Hope.
- Proper names used in the article are:
- Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs
- President Harry S. Truman Fellowship in National Security Science and Engineering
- Harry S. Truman Bridge
- Harry S. Truman Farm Home
- Harry S. Truman High School (Federal Way)
- Harry S. Truman High School (Independence)
- Harry S. Truman High School (Levittown)
- Harry S. Truman High School (New York City)
- Harry S. Truman Historic District
- Harry S. Truman Little White House
- Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital
- Harry S. Truman National Historic Site
- Harry S. Truman Parkway
- Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
- Harry S. Truman Lake and Harry S. Truman Visitor Center
- USS Harry S. Truman
- There are 23 uses in the references section.
- Also note the references listed in Bibliography of Harry S. Truman.