33rd President.  Typed letter signed (TLS) "Harry S Truman" AS PRESIDENT, October 26, 1950, The White House Washington stationery, 7x9, to "Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. Heinl, Jr." in full:

I want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending me an inscribed copy of your book, The Defense of Wake.

After having seen at firsthand the bleak and dismal character at Wake Island, I am more impressed than ever by the courageous stand of the Marines in December 1941.

On October 15, 1950 (just 11 days before sending this letter), President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur met on Wake Island to confer on the progress of the Korean War.  They chose to meet at Wake Island because of its proximity to Korea so MacArthur wouldn't have to be away from the troops in the field for too long.

The Battle of Wake Island began simultaneously with the Attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on 23 December 1941, with the surrender of the American forces to the Empire of Japan. It was fought on and around the atoll formed by Wake Island and its islets of Peale and Wilkes Islands by the air, land and naval forces of the Empire of Japan against those of the U.S., with Marines playing a prominent role on both sides.

The island was held by the Japanese until September 4, 1945, when the remaining Japanese garrison surrendered to a detachment of United States Marines.

Robert Debs Heinl Jr., The Defense of Wake (1947), is the official Marine history of the campaign.