Our History

The Truman National Security Project and our sister organization, the Truman Center for National Policy, are named after President Harry S. Truman.  

At the dawn of the Cold War, the Truman administration chose not to return to the isolation of the 1930s, and instead deepened US engagement with other countries, notably in the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations. That example of sensible and deep commitment to smart multilateralism inspires us to this day.
Harry S. Truman

Make the right move.

In 2005, soon after the re-election of President George W. Bush, and two years into the war in Iraq, Rachel Kleinfeld and Matthew Spence founded the Truman National Security Project. They understood the need for an organization that brought together people who were interested in US national security and in human rights and rule of law.  

In 2013, we launched our sister organization, the Truman Center for National Policy, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit research institution. The non-partisan Truman Center is devoted to research on our priority areas of climate change, countering disinformation, and improving our national security institutions.