It may be interesting to compare Truman and Eisenhower, two consecutive great Presidents.
Truman is especially famous for the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and the Truman Doctrine to contain Soviet expansion. (George Kennan was a key designer of both plans.) One might try to say Truman was "just going with the flow", but "the buck stops here" and strong advocacy by POTUS was essential to get Congress to pass the very expensive Marshall Plan. (It eventually got a House super-majority, with mostly just Midwest Republicans in opposition.) As percent of GDP, foreign aid under the Marshall Plan dwarfed everything that came later. (In a distant 2nd-place might be the "military aid" Bush and Cheney provided to Iraq and Afghanistan to reduce the chaos in those countries they destroyed.)
Eisenhower ended the Korean War and established the Interstate Highway system but is especially noted for not making blunders: He largely kept the U.S. out of military conflict for eight years. Contrast this with the Cuban and Vietnam crises that bloomed under JFK.
The Siena survey at the twice-linked Wiki page grades Presidents in 20 categories. Ike outscores Truman for Background, Relations with Congress, Court Appointments, and Ability to Compromise. Truman outscores Ike with Domestic Accomplishments, Communication Ability, Handling of the Economy, Imagination, Willingness to Take Risks, and Overall Ability. As an example of risk-taking, Truman acted against his Chiefs of Staff's recommendations and agreed with MacArthur's plan to attempt an amphibious assault at Incheon. (With luck the Incheon landings were a great success; otherwise Truman might not rank so high on such lists.)
