In an era of spin doctors, media consultants, and government by poll, it’s refreshing to read the words of a politician who knew his own mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it. This politician was Harry Truman. His pithy, forthright comments have survived the test of time. “Being a president is like riding a tiger,” Truman observed. “A man has to keep riding or be swallowed.” This is just one of the great wealth of quotes and anecdotes Keyes has collected. He has also included excerpts from Truman’s diaries, letters, speeches, and press conferences, such as the diary entry Truman wrote after becoming president: “Another hectic day in the executive office. Saw a lot of customers. Hope they all left happy.” The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman is a great resource for information about the man and his time.
This splendid little collection of pithy Truman quotes is a marvelous introduction to the most human president of this century. Divided into logical sections, a romp through the pages allows the reader to garner a quick but inclusive history of Truman’s public life.
After he left the White House, Truman was invited to visit San Francisco shipping mogul George Killion. When his driver got lost, Truman rang the doorbell of a nearby house and asked for directions. The homeowner couldn’t help him. “I hope I’m not hurting your feelings,” he did say, “but you look exactly like that old s.o.b. Harry Truman.”
“I hope I’m not hurting your feelings either,” responded Truman, “but I am that s.o.b.”
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Contents
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
1. Wilder Than Ever About Harry
2. Truman On:
a. People
b. Issues
3. Harry Truman’s Life Stories
4. Love, Harry
5. Dear Diary
6. Press Relations
7. My Fellow Americans
Bibliography and Notes
Excerpt
1. WILDER THAN EVER ABOUT HARRY
In an era of spin doctors, media consultants and government by poll, it’s refreshing to read the words of a man who knew his mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it.
That man was Harry Truman. The plainspoken man from Missouri is enjoying a renaissance. In his lifetime, it was said with a snicker that Harry Truman proved anyone could be president. Now that’s said with pride. Since Truman’s death in 1972, Democrats and Republicans alike have summoned his muse as a model citizen-president. Gerald Ford kept a bust of Truman in the oval office. Ronald Reagan’s Steuben glass plaque engraved The Buck Stops Here caught Truman’s words but missed the melody. George Bush even ran in 1992 as a “Truman Republican.” (One can only imagine what Harry himself would have said about that oxymoron.)
The glow surrounding Truman as an ex-president stands in stark contrast to his dim reputation while in office. During seven-and-a-half years in the White House, Truman seemed hokey to many. Parochial. A president who couldn’t wait to leave Washington for Independence, Missouri. One who wore loud shirts, called his wife “The Boss,” and liked to show off his so-so piano playing. Harry Truman looked more like a Rotary president than a U.S. president. He stood for a front porch, double-breasted way of life many postwar Americans were trying to flee. Jet-setters like Jack and Jacqueline appealed to us more than ice cream socialites such as Harry and Bess.
Today we feel differently. Now we’re hungry for Harry Truman’s type of American. In the age of Prozac, we admire his lack of angst. In a time of skepticism we’re nostalgic for Truman’s optimism. His rigid sense of duty compares favorably with our flexible hedonism. During an era of dysfunctional families — including those of presidents — we enjoy reading about his close one. There’s something irresistible about a powerful world leader in his 60s who considered his wife “my sweetheart.”
Unlike his eloquent predecessor, Truman didn’t use what he called “$40 words.” Quite the contrary. Truman’s comments were filled with terms such as “hooey,” “high hat,” and “nincompoop.” He didn’t pussyfoot around. Truman seldom left any doubt about his positions. “I never sit on a fence,” he said. “I am either on one side or another.”
Unlike his successor — whose strategy for dealing with reporters was to “confuse ’em” — evasion was not Harry Truman’s style. He never had to struggle to make things “perfectly clear.” There was no talk of a credibility gap during Truman’s administration. It’s hard to imagine anyone calling him “Slick Harry.”
Truman’s candor had him in hot water for much of his presidency. His colorful language made many a listener wince. Only after he returned to Missouri were we able to step back and wonder what could have bothered us so much about this outspoken man. “The quirks and quips that gave the press a field day throughout his presidency seem less defects now than a refreshing naturalness,” observed biographer Robert H. Ferrell.
Harry Truman stands in stark contrast to modern politicians who don’t seem sure of who they are or what they stand for until they’ve taken a poll. This doesn’t mean that his successors have been liars or four-flushers (although Nixon was). Rather, post-Truman politicians as a group seem to have little sense of self, of character, of values other than the value of getting elected. Contemporaries observed repeatedly that Harry Truman knew who he was. “I’ve never met anyone,” wrote journalist Charles Robbins, “whose idea of his own identity was clearer than Truman’s.”
At the heart of this identity was Truman’s conviction that he was one of us. Franklin Delano Roosevelt befriended the common man. Harry S. Truman was the common man in person. Truman wasn’t for the people so much as he was of the people. We saw him as a peer. That’s the way he saw himself. “I look just like any other fifty people you meet in the street,” Truman once observed.
America is still filled with people who exchanged a word or two with President Truman. One World War II veteran recalled passing him while out for an early morning stroll. “Hi, soldier,” said Truman to the man in uniform. “Hi, Harry,” responded the serviceman. Imagine calling Franklin Roosevelt “Frank.” Yet Americans routinely called Truman by his nickname. How did he feel about this? “All over the country they call me ‘Harry,'” he said. “I like it. I believe when you speak to me like that you like me.”
While driving a cab as a student in New York, Mike Gravel pulled up beside the strolling former president. “Young man,” said Truman, sticking his hand through the cab window, “you look good to me. Just make something of yourself.” After Gravel was elected to the U.S. Senate from Alaska, they met again. What struck the new senator was how little difference there was in his two encounters with Truman. “A cab driver and a U.S. Senator got the same attention and respect from him,” said Gravel.
One reason we recall Truman so fondly is that it’s not hard to put ourselves in his size 8 1/2 shoes. Who among us hasn’t fantasized about waking up one morning to find ourselves president? Truman not only lived that fantasy but proved up to the job. His example suggests that we all have untapped resources of strength, decisiveness and ability to grow.
Truman didn’t covet the presidency. Quite the contrary. Throughout his time in office he spoke constantly of his wish to flee the “Great White Jail.” When Press Secretary Charles Ross observed that he’d rather be right than president, Truman responded that he’d rather be anything than president. But duty was Harry Truman’s cardinal virtue. Truman genuinely thought he had work to do for his country whether or not he felt like doing it. One reason we admire Truman so much in retrospect was the stand-up way he shouldered a crushing burden that he hadn’t sought, didn’t want, and couldn’t wait to pass along. So why did he run for re-election in 1948? Although a genuinely reluctant president, Truman was also a proud man who couldn’t abide the thought that he was keeping Franklin Roosevelt’s seat warm while Americans chose his real successor. Truman wanted that title for himself, and earned it.
Even after being elected in his own right, Harry Truman never forgot that he was president due to circumstances beyond his control. Perhaps that’s why he was better able than most presidents to stay human beneath its 21-gun salutes. Truman always kept in mind that he was a tenant in the White House, not its owner. One almost had a sense that he saw himself as an actor playing the part of a world leader, and doing so superbly. “As Harry Truman, I’m not very much,” he said, “but as President Truman I have no peer.”
Truman’s ability to grow into the presidency was his greatest asset. This meant that he had to transcend a parochial background and some backwater prejudices. The man from Missouri could be surprisingly petty: right on the big issues, wrong on the small ones, said House Speaker Sam Rayburn. The president who recognized Israel minutes after its founding had mocked Jews in letters to Bess. The man who did more for civil rights than any president since Lincoln sprinkled his conversation with racial epithets. The decisiveness we admire so much in Harry Truman could be seen as rushing to judgment. Many historians have questioned the long-term consequences of decisions such as those to develop the H-bomb, found the CIA, and expand the presidency into today’s imperial version. Posing such questions about Truman doesn’t mean one can’t admire him nonetheless. “I am not sure he was right about the atomic bomb, or even Korea,” Eric Sevareid told David McCullough. “But remembering him reminds people what a man in that office ought to be like. It’s character, just character. He stands like a rock in memory now.”
That helps explain why we’re wilder than ever about Harry. We can’t seem to quench our thirst for information about this fascinating man. Several excellent biographies have been written about Truman, most recently by David McCullough and Robert H. Ferrell. Ferrell has done yeoman work editing and publishing Truman’s letters, diaries and miscellaneous writing. So has Monte Poen, and Margaret Truman, who has also written biographies of her father and mother. She and David Gallen have based separate books on a series of taped reflections by Truman (Where the Buck Stops and The Quotable Harry S. Truman). Truman himself published his memoirs and a follow-up work called Mister Citizen .
What we don’t have is a book that distills the best of Harry Truman’s words into one accessible volume. Thus The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman . This book combines the most cogent remarks by Truman with fuller observations from his diary, letters and speeches. Excerpts from Truman’s press conferences show his gift for peppery repartee. Anecdotes that illustrate different facets of his character — “Harry Truman’s Life Stories” — give a more rounded picture of the man.
For a compiler of Trumaniana, the problem is not what to include but what to leave out. Truman made enough wise, witty observations to fill this volume and many more. Even his public papers serve up nuggets of humor and verve. In the give ’em hell speeches of 1948, Truman’s words bristle off the page. “This Republican Congress has already stuck a pitchfork in the farmer’s back,” he told an Iowa audience. “I wish I could stay longer,” Truman said in Illinois, “but I have to get back to Washington to veto some more bills.” From the back of his train car he warned yet a third crowd, “If you send another Republican Congress to Washington, you’re a bigger bunch of suckers than I think you are!”
Because he was so outspoken, it’s tempting to include only Truman’s saltier remarks in a book such as this. But there was more to Harry Truman than salt and pepper. For a man of action, he was unusually reflective. Truman may not have been brilliant. Nor was he well educated in the conventional sense. But — like so many whose love of books hasn’t been extinguished by four years of college — Truman read voraciously; history and biography especially. If his intellect wasn’t profound, it was intelligent and wide-ranging. Truman made continual thoughtful observations about the issues of his day. Many of these observations bear on issues of our own day: congressional term limits, for example, the federal deficit and national health insurance. Some are strikingly prescient. The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman includes a fair measure of his more thoughtful comments to balance the many “Trumanisms,” with particular emphasis on topics such as Leadership, Decision-Making, and The Presidency, where he spoke from experience.
The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman can be used in two ways:
1) as a mini-biography to be read straight through;
2) as a browser and resource.
One is tempted to add a third category: as a primer of clear, vigorous exposition. It’s a pleasant surprise to discover how vivid a writer Truman could be. (So vivid that I used one entry from this book in another one on writing.) After he and Bess enjoyed a summer supper on the south porch of the White House, for example, Truman jotted this vignette:
A robin hops around looking for worms, finds one and pulls with all his might to unearth him. A mocking bird imitates robins, jays, red birds, crows, hawks — but has no individual note of his own. A lot of people like that. Planes take off and land at the National Air Port south of the Jefferson Memorial. It is a lovely evening. I can see the old Chesapeake and Potomac Canal going across the Washington Monument grounds, barges anchoring west of the Monument. I can see old J.Q. Adams going swimming in it and getting his clothes stolen by an angry woman who wanted a job. The old guy did not have my guards or it wouldn’t have happened. Then I wake up, go upstairs and go to work and contemplate the prison life of a president. What the hell!
Harry Truman was a spirited man. This book tries to capture his spirit. This means not just the rip-roaring campaigner of 1948 but the compassionate man revered by his colleagues. It’s no accident that Harry Truman was never the subject of an unflattering memoir by an associate. Yet he was paid many a tribute by those with whom he worked. The more we learn about Truman’s persona, the better he looks. If anything — unlike the case with so many of history’s “greats” — what we’ve discovered about Truman’s private life only adds to his luster.
Although the last of 19th century men in his sensibilities, Truman’s spirit was in tune with our times — or, should we say — the times we’d like to have. “In a way,” said Michigan Senator Philip Hart in his eulogy to Truman, “I suppose, it could be argued that he did the public a disservice by teaching the people that candor and politics, honesty and government are not incompatible items. After President Truman, the public — not unreasonably — expected complete straightforwardness and frankness from everybody elected to Federal office thereafter. The disappointment was inevitable.
“He was a great man, yes, but he has given us a gift that we do not always get from great men — he gave us the gift of warm, smiling memories.”
The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman is an attempt to capture that warmth, and convey those smiles along with the thoughtful insights of a dedicated public man.
Reviews
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
3 stars Useful for Truman fans I read the book of Truman quotations in a couple of hours. The author was very selective, focusing on the Give’em hell, Harry one-liners and sound-bites. Truman had a charming sense of…
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
4 stars Very Good Insights This book was an excellent insight into the President who never lost sight of the fact that he was nothing more than a common man. Refreshing attitudes that we do not seem to see in…
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
5 stars An entertaining and informative overview of Truman. This collection of quotes, letters, and anecdotes gives the reader a comprehensive overview of Truman’s life as well as insight into the kind of man he truly…
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
4 stars Nice introduction to Truman This is not a full-scale biography of Harry Truman, but it would serve as a fabulous introduction to him. This is a short book, but contains a wealth of personal anecdotes, quotes and…
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
5 stars An entertaining and insightful view of Truman This is a wonderful collection of quotes, letters, and anecdotes which together give the reader a quick view of Truman’s life as well as a mental picture of the man…
January 28, 2011
Reviews from Amazon.com
5 stars Truth in high office The author captures the essence of the man. A must read for anybody fed up with superficial politicans. Brysonmacdonald “caperbayboy” (Charlottetown PEI)
January 28, 2011
Dayton Daily News
Keyes compiled more than 1000 quotations and anecdotes for Th e Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman , that everyman president who gave ’em hell. Keyes is on a roll …
January 28, 2011
Kansas City Star
The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman by Ralph Keyes is a pocketbook size anthology that starts with a biography of the president, ends with selected diary entries, and in between divides almost 1000 quotes and anecdotes…
January 28, 2011
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Hot off the presses is a new book by one of our country’s most acerbic presidents. It’s The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman by Ralph Keyes, a collection of quotations by the man from Independence. Some gems to whet your…
January 28, 2011
Philadelphia Daily News
President Harry Truman was known as “Give-’em-hell” Harry because he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind. And, as the following quotes indicate, what was on Harry’s mind back in the 40s might just as easily be on any…
January 28, 2011
Tampa Tribune
Want a good example of just how different he was from the poll-watching, wishy-washy milquetoast pols of today? Try this little gem from his magnificent 1948 presidential campaign: “You’ve got a terrible Congressman…
Press
January 28, 2011
Press
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On the internet
January 28, 2011
Internet
A couple months ago I was at my aunt’s house and noticed a little book sitting on a side table: The Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman. I told her I like Truman and she told me I could borrow the book if I wanted… This book…
What colleagues say
I have spent a lot of time with your Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman in recent months. The collection is wonderful, really capturing the essence of this quintessential American. Your introductory essay captures what it is about Truman that made him a great president and an even more interesting human being.
Barton Wechsler, Director and Professor
Harry S Truman School of Public Affairs
University of Missouri
As the communications director at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, biographies of the 33rd president are never more than three steps away. But it is Ralph Keyes’ s Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman that never leaves my desk. Keyes’s incomparable compendium opens with a lively and illuminating essay on Truman. What follows are Harry Truman’s own words on everything from past presidents to education to human nature. The book is a treasure for any lover of books and ideas, and an indispensable resource for those interested in the American presidency, Missouri history, or the modest Missourian who became a 20th-century giant.
Susan Medler
Director of Communications
Harry S. Truman Library Institute
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
What readers say
The book is a treasure of information about our 33rd president and must for Truman admirers such as myself.
Fenton, MO
This collection of quotes, letters, and anecdotes gives the reader a comprehensive overview of Truman’s life as well as insight into the kind of man he truly was. This book allows the reader to feel connected to Truman in a way a biography can not.
Kansas City, MO
This is a wonderful collection of quotes, letters, and anecdotes which together give the reader a quick view of Truman’s life as well as a mental picture of the man from many different instances and viewpoints. This book, because of its clear depiction of Truman’s character, makes the reader feel connected to Truman in a way that a biography cannot.
Kansas City, MO
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Tucson, AZ
I have spent a lot of time with your Wit and Wisdom of Harry Truman in recent months. The collection is wonderful, really capturing the essence of this quintessential American. Your introductory essay captures what it is about Truman that made him a great president and an even more interesting human being.
Columbia, MO
End notes
Notes
Rather than cite every source that includes the same comment by Truman or information about him, only the key source or sources are cited. Sources are listed by author’s last name and date of publication if necessary (followed by “a” and “b” in the order that they appear in the bibliography—if there is more than one publication by the same author in a single year). Harry Truman’s public papers are cited as PP followed by the year.
Wilder Than Ever About Harry
Rossiter: Rossiter 159; Ford, Reagan: Luhr 86; I never sit on a fence: PP 1948 931; Ferrell: Ferrell 1984 250; Robbins: Robbins 146; “I look just like”: Goodman 173; “All over the country”: Steinberg 324; Gravel: U.S. Congress 175; Truman to Ross: Steinberg 285; “As Harry Truman”: Thompson 149; Sevareid: McCullough 992; Iowa speech: PP 1948 506; Illinois speech: Poen 1984 221; third speech: Phillips 215; “A robin hops”: Ferrell 1980b 140; Hart: U.S. Congress 148.
Truman on People
Churchill: Kirkendall 282; Ferrell 1994 205; Poen 1984 195; Acheson 595; MacArthur: Ferrell 1980b 324; Ferrell 1980b 47; Marshall: Truman 1989 71; Hillman 150; Ferrell 1980b 109; Baruch: Ferrell 1980b 87; Brown: Gallen 113; Bryan: Truman 1989 342; Custer: Truman 1989 284; de Gaulle: Poen 1984 197; Fulbright: Steinberg 405; Goldwater: Ferrell 1994 394; Kennedy: Kirkendall 197; McCarthy: Poen 1984 237; Molotov: Ferrell 1980b 305; Picasso: Ferrell 1994 398; Rogers: Poen 1984 98; Stalin: Simpson 1957 311; Twain: Poen 1982 30; Ferrell 1980b 228; Webster: Gallen 105; Winchell: Poen 1982 25*.*
PRESIDENTS
Washington: Gallen 84; Truman 1989 103; Gallen 79; John Adams: Gallen 88; Truman 1989 244; Jefferson: Robbins 43; Gallen 92; Truman 1956 192; Madison: Gallen 96; John Quincy Adams: Truman 1989 266; Jackson: Truman 1956 193; Truman 1989 295; Luhr 33; Van Buren: Truman 1960b 75; Truman 1989 307; Tyler: Gallen 107; Polk: Gallen 108; Taylor: Truman 1989 21; Pierce: Truman 1989 25, 11; Lincoln: Hillman 90; Gallen 120; Truman 1989 322; Truman 1960b 77; Johnson: Truman 1960b 77; Gallen 124; Truman 1960b 77; Grant: Truman 1964; Truman 1956 198; Truman 1989 12; Cleveland: Truman 1989 13; Harrison: Truman 1989 38; Theodore Roosevelt: Truman 1956 201; Truman 1989 348; Gallen 134; Taft: Truman 1989 15; Wilson: Truman 1989 15, 351, 347; Hillman 88; Harding: Truman 1989 201; Coolidge: Truman 1989 45; Hoover: Ferrell 1994 99; Truman 1960a 118; Franklin Roosevelt: Gallen 148, 149; Ferrell 1994 133 Eisenhower: Ferrell 1994 449‑50; Kirkendall 109; Ferrell 1980b 264; Truman 1989 65, 62, 64, 68; John F. Kennedy: Steinberg 428; Aurthur, August 1971; Settel 97; Aurthur, August 1971; Richard Nixon: Kirkendall 257; Poen 1982 134; Kirkendall 257; Steinberg 425.
Truman on Issues
AMERICANS
If you want: Truman 1960a, 175; The acts: Truman 1989 126; The United States: Hillman 121.
BELIEFS
I’ve never: Truman 1960b 119; There is nothing: Gallen 120; My own sympathy: Truman 1964; I was never: Truman 1955 236; I am sorry: Truman 1960a 90; We need men: McCullough 767; I am not: Hillman 221; Good name: Truman 1973 363.
CAMPAIGNING
Cut your speech: Daniels 202; Don’t attack: Ferrell 1980b 341; I always: Williams 21; I do not: Truman 1956 201; You have to: Robbins 21; When a candidate: Truman 1960a 154; A man: Truman 1960a 153‑4; If a politician: Williams 140; I’m not: U.S. Congress 154; You know: Ferrell 1980b 403; I never: U.S. Congress 27, 178; I always: Ferrell 1980b 373; I have: Truman 1960a 18; Every political battle: Thompson 159.
CHILDREN
I have found: Simpson 1988 167; Advice to: Truman 1960a 202; Children nowadays: Ferrell 1994 451; Mama and Papa: U.S. Congress 147; You can still: Steinberg 427; I always: Frank S. Pepper, ed., The Wit and Wisdom of the Twentieth Century (New York: Peter Bedrick, 1987) 117.
CIVIL LIBERTY
Everyone has: Truman 1956 271; You cannot: PP 1948 289; There were: Truman 1960b 123; I think: Truman 1960b 111; There is: PP 1950 649‑50
CIVIL RIGHTS
Religious: Truman 1989 126; Whether discrimination: PP 1948 3; When I was: Ferrell 1984 191; We can: PP 1947 312.
COMMUNICATING
Never use: Ross; The simplest words: Truman 1960a 277; I never use: Luhr 52; I always: Truman 1955 161; Listeners: Brembeck; A good speaker: Brembeck; Sometimes I forget: Hillman 65; The greatest orators: Truman 1989 101.
CONGRESS
If you tell: Settel 51; There are: Ferrell 1980b 201; Some senators: Hillman 118; You can’t: Ferrell 1994 184; Most of: Truman 1955 146; I sometimes: Truman 1973 346.
CONVICTION
You don’t: PP 1948 53; I never: PP 1948 931; I have: Truman 1960a 113; I don’t: Settel 37; It takes: PP 1948 819.
CRITICISM
It has: PP 1952 571; Criticism: Hersey 83; It is: Ferrell 1980b 410; When they: Pemberton 31; You have: Williams 183‑4; I don’t: Williams 70.
DECISION MAKING.
I don’t: Ferrell 1980b 145; It is: PP 1948 341; You get: U.S. Congress 4; I’ve always: Robbins 146; As president: Truman 1956 305; I made: Truman 1960a 264; Truman 1960a 264; I asked: U.S. Congress 98; Once I had: Truman 1964; I was: Ferrell 1984 170; If you’ve: Ferrell 1984 170; Looking back: Truman 1960a 262; The most dangerous: Truman 1960a 261; I have never: Truman 1960a 97; I never: Phillips 112; If you are: Truman 196oa 265.
DEMOCRACY
Half the fun: Settel 128‑9; No government: PP 1947 177; The people: Truman 1960a 27; There is: Hillman 13.
DICTATORSHIP
Justice Brandeis: Truman 1960a 223; Whenever: Truman 1960b 51; A dictatorship: Daniels 285; There is: Ferrell 1994 251.
ECONOMICS
It’s a recession: Frost 70; I was: New York Times, April 14, 1985; You know: New York World Telegram and Sun, April 12, 1958; Budget figures: Acheson 492; More misinformation: Truman 1956 42; There is nothing: Kirkendall 130; We believe: Truman 1960a 299; Taxation: Truman 1956 41; The danger: Gallen 27; (Tight money): Caldwell 54; There is nothing: Kirkendall 130; We must never: Hillman 83.
EDUCATION
Education is: PP 1948 328; It makes: Ferrell 1980b 167; I can: Ferrell 1980b 167; I think: Hillman 45‑6.
ETHICS
Since a child: Poen 1984 204; If I think: Kirkendall 287; It’s like: Robbins 73; Wrongdoers: Hillman 204; I can: Truman 1973 323; There are: Ferrell 1980b 305; Do your duty: Truman 1973 581.
FINE ARTS
I know: Ferrell 1980b 11; I dislike: Ferrell 1980b 299; Did you ever: Pemberton 6; I don’t like: Hillman 203.
FITNESS
You can’t: Hersey 48; After you: Truman 1960a 87‑8; If you: Truman 1960a
87; I walk: Hillman 133; All my life: Truman 1964.
GOVERNMENT
I think: Adler 171; We have: Hillman 149; The least: Gallen 32; It has been: Donovan 28; I think: Hillman 235; We would: Adler 187; The convention system: Truman 1956 204; I am against: Truman 1960a 154‑5; A national: Truman 1960a 227‑8.
HEALTH CARE
When we: Ferrell 1980b 165-6; I am: Kirkendall 25, I usually: Truman 1956 17; I have: Poen 1982 96.
HIMSELF
I’m just: Settel 130; I’m a: U.S. Congress 116, 170; I’ve been: Truman 1964; I like to gossip: Hillman 30; I like people: Truman 1960a 155; I’m a damned: Ferrell 1980b 209; I could hardly: Ferrell 1980b 209; I have been accused: Truman 1960a 20; I used to watch: Truman 1955 124‑5; If my mother: Truman 1960b 81; There was: McCullough 99; It’s been: Pemberton 8; I never: Steinberg 215; I have always said: Gallen xv; I’m not a scholar: Robbins 42; If I couldn’t: Hillman 204.
HISTORY
While still: Truman 1955 119; There is: Hillman 81; You must: Hillman 10; Most of the problems: Truman 1956 1; Our American: Hillman 94; Men make: Truman 1973 52.
HUMAN NATURE
In reading: Hillman 190; There are: Hillman 61; Men often: Hillman 229; There is: Ferrell 1980b 177; When an: Ferrell 1980b 323; All of us: Ferrell 1980b 194; Happiness: Hillman 195; There’s nothing: Hersey 45; The human animal has: Truman 1960a 131; The human animal and: Ferrell 1980b 99; Our tribal: McCullough 942.
HUMAN RELATIONS
Always be: Truman 1973 367; Haven’t you: McCullough 410; About the: PP 1950 359.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International relations: PP 1947 166; No nation: Settel 89; Isolationism: PP 475; No country: PP 1946 188; Americans are: Ferrell 1980b 44‑5; We in America: Truman 1956 61; In all: Ferrell 1984 174; The American approach: Truman 1956 238; I have never: Truman 1973 384; All sorts: Truman 1960b 84; The top dog: Daniels 336.
LEADERSHIP
You can’t: Truman 1989 80; Not all: Ferrell 1980a 115; A successful: White and Henerlider; My definition: Gallen 46; Leadership: Henning 123; I am willing: Ferrell 1980b 134; Keep working: Ferrell 1980a 120; You can always: PP 1949 546; It is: Hillman 18.
MARRIAGE
I don’t: Hillman 153; A man: Truman 1973 74; When a man: Ferrell 1983 480.
THE MILITARY
(The armed forces): Steinberg 142; If there: Truman 1956 444; One reason: Truman 1956 444; The professional: Truman 1989 55; They’re honorable: Caldwell 33; All the generals: Gallen 126; Most generals: Truman 1989 21; The only: Gallen 126; I think: Gallen 127; (Eisenhower): New York Times, January 15, 1981; The air boys: Ferrell 1984 181; The Marine Corps: Time, September 18, 1950; I know: McCullough 528.
MISCELLANY
One of: Hillman 104; I don’t: Time, February 10, 1958; They (the FBI): Ferrell 1980b 22; (Autograph seekers): New York World Telegram and Sun, April 12, 1958; (Souvenir hunters): Vernon 7; I’ve found: Williams 177; An economist: McCullough 558; A consultant: Truman 1973 552; Dignitaries: Ferrell 1980b 138; California crackpots*: Ferrell 1980b 128; (Nevada): Kirkendall 225*.*
NATIONALITIES
It was said: Vernon 7; The ancestor worshipers: Poen 1982 147; The Chinese: Frost 32; Russians: Kirkendall 33; Russia: Ferrell 1980 333; (The Russians): Ferrell 1994 249; You never saw: Steinberg 259.
NATIVE AMERICANS
Many of: Truman 1989 282; The treatment: Gallen 69; How would I: Gallen 60; There were: Truman 1989 285; The Indians: Truman 1989 285; They weren’t: Truman 1989 282; Some of the: Truman 1989 282; I have always: Truman 1960a 175.
OLD AGE
As you: Settel 44; It is remarkable: Ferrell 1980b 294; At 79: McCullough 982; I don’t like: Ferrell 1980b 408.
PEACE
I’d rather: PP 1948 679; We must find: McCullough 785; We must face: PP 1945 405; It only takes: Settel 174; I don’t believe: PP 1948 859; We can well: Settel 126*.*
PERSONAL PREFERENCES
I’ve got: PP 1951 203; 1 never had: Settel 80; I’ve never had: Truman 1964; I have never cared: Truman 1960a 102; My favorite animal: Truman 1960a 39; Most people: Hersey 33‑4.
PHILOSOPHY
I am inclined: Truman 1960a 97; I grew up: Truman 1960a 97; I have never: Thomson 9; You must watch: Truman 1960b 113; Three things: U.S. Congress 4; I don’t care: Truman 1960b 113; Do your best: U.S. Congress 130.
POLITICAL INTEGRITY
Lies: Poen 1984 252; Politics force: Hillman 189; Wherever: Hersey 42; An honest: Ferrell 1984 249; I would have: Hillman 197; I would much rather: Ferrell 1980b 309*.*
POLITICAL PARTIES
I think: Truman 1960a 113; There is: Truman 1960a 159; Never in: Gallen 83; (The Democratic Party): Truman 1964; The Republicans: Truman 1964; When a leader: Caldwell 10; When I hear: Steinberg 251; A sound: Settel 150; Republicans don’t like: Adler 176; The Republicans have: U.S. Congress 125; The Republican Party: PP 1948 771.
POLITICIANS
I’m proud: New York World Telegram and Sun, April 12, 1958; A statesman: New York World Telegram and Sun, April 12, 1958; A great politician: Ferrell 1980b 306; There are more: Ferrell 1980b 282; The difficulty: Settel 38; You can tell: Hillman 196; If you don’t: Donovan 29; I think: Truman 1973 543; Many of us: Truman 1960b 44; There is: Truman 1960a 53.
POLITICS
Politics is a fascinating: Hillman 198; Politics is . . . a game: Harnsberger 228; I have always: Truman 1956 499; Politics is the ability: Truman 1989 346; If you are for it: PP 1950 179; Politics**—**good politics: PP 1952‑3 220.
POLLS
I wonder: Ferrell 1980b 310; It isn’t: Ferrell 1980b 310; A man: Truman 1956 196.
THE PRESIDENCY
The presidency is: Truman 1960b 3; The presidency will: Aurthur August 1971; Being: Truman 1956 I; I do not know: Truman 1956 361; No president: Poen 1984 253; Lincoln: Gallen 118; To be president: Truman 1955 ix; The greatest part: PP 1952‑3 1197; Presidents: Truman 1989 16, Gallen 75; The United States: Truman 1989 20; First: Settel 136; You have: Truman 1960b 82; It’s almost: Settel 134; Any man: Truman 1956 199; If you don’t: Settel 133; The president of: Hersey 69; He has more: Ferrell 1980b 239; A good president: Truman 1989 79; I’ve said: U.S. Congress 43; County judge: Daniels 366; The president spends: PP 1949 123; He is: Ferrell 1980b 239; If a president: Truman 1989 19; A man with: Truman 1960a 216; A president cannot: Truman 1956 196; A strong president: Truman 1989 81‑2; A man in: Ferrell 1980b 119; A president may: PP 1948 819; The president of: Harnsberger 247; Anybody can be: Robbins 148.
THE PRESIDENCY OF HARRY TRUMAN
I’ve never: Ferrell 1980b 270; In the White House: Truman 1960a 50‑1; Nobody but: Ferrell 1980b 176; I am: Thompson 36‑7; The president: PP 1948 334; I think: Ferrell 1980b 127; I sign: PP 1952‑3 1198; I am: Hillman 232; It seems: Smith 57; There are: Thomson 141; Adlai: McCullough 891; Some of: Truman 1960b 9; I have tried: PP 1952‑3 270.
THE PRESIDENT’S FAMILY AND ASSOCIATES
The White House: Truman 1960a 197; 1 have often: Vernon 46; I do not know: Truman 1960a 201; There is: Hillman 23‑4; It would be: Hillman 24; I’d say: Truman 1989 99; It’s hell: Ferrell 1980b 40; A yes‑man: Truman 1956 416; I do not like: Truman 1960a 228‑9.
THE PRESIDENT IN RETIREMENT
Two hours: Donovan 16; I am now: Settel 129; I still don’t: Ferrell 1984 239; You can’t: Ferrell 1994 239; They are trying: Truman 1960a 181.
THE PRESS
If you have: Truman 1989 50; Gallen 48; The objective: Gallen 51; Lies: Ferrell 1980b 194; If you want: Truman 1973 258; Our means: Truman 1956 414; The press: Kirkendall 289; I’ve always: Vernon 19; You should: Truman 1960a 31; No man: Gallen 50; It makes: Williams 183; When you read: PP 1948 235; When the press: U.S. Congress 168; I never cared: Gallen 50; I have been told: Williams 20; Editors: Hillman 232; They are always: McCullough 820; I find: Williams 194; In the picture: Ferrell 1980b 38; To hell: Simpson 1988 370; I’m saving: Hersey 43.
RELIGION
All the religion: Steinberg 119; If men: PP 1946 142; Material: PP 1950 463; I myself: Gallen 120; I’m a Baptist: Ferrell 1980a 33‑4; Those who: Truman 1960a 132; I rather: Hillman 227; Who is: Truman 1973 74; My Grandfather: Truman 1960a 128; Religious stuffed shirts: Ferrell 1980a 33‑4; I’ve always: Ferrell 1980a 33‑4; I’ve come: Poen 1982 29.
ROOTS
I can remember: Ferrell 1980a 118; My home town: Ferrell 1980b 406; I’ve had: Kirkendall 240; A man: Robbins 18.
THE VICE PRESIDENCY
A president: Steinberg 348; There’s an old joke: Truman 1989 45; The vice president: Truman 1989 45; I bet: Daniels 232; Jefferson: Truman 1989 216‑7; Do you: Steinberg 209.
WAR
Starting a war: Donovan 81; I have always: Truman 1956 383; The one purpose: Truman 1956 x; I was: PP 1952‑3 1200; Warfare: Truman 1955 210; Victorious nations: PP 1946 187; We have: PP 1947 165; If we do not: U.S. Congress 126.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Rumors are: PP 1945 418; If you want: New York Times,* March 10, 1989; There are more: Ferrell 1980b 72; Woodrow Wilson said: PP 1948 326; I have had: Truman 1960a 89.
Harry Truman’s Life Stories
Precocity: Steinberg 21; Dad: Steinberg 15; Colonel Crisp: McCullough 63; Young Republicans: PP 1950 296; Four‑Eyes: Hillman 159; Childhood Sweetheart: Robbins 49, Hillman 161; A Straight Plower: Kirkendall 351, Steinberg 251, Truman 1973 540, Ferrell 1994 172; Tending Bar: Truman 1955 121‑2; Worthy of a Kiss: Kansas City Star July 1, 1976; Agricultural Science: PP 1948 550, Kirkendall 126; Preparing for the Presidency: Ferrell 1983 201, Daniels 83; A Late Proposal: Truman 1973 59, Hillman 192; Thoroughly Scared: Hillman 193; Ferrell 1984 50; The Battle of Who Run: McCullough 123; Pedestrian: Ferrell 1984 50‑1; Philosophy of Business: McCullough 62; Politicians and Prostitutes: Aurthur, August 1971; A Fate Worse Than Death: Truman 1960a 156, Ferrell 1980b 271; Hung Over: Truman 1973 65, Robbins 62; How to Do Business: McCullough 182; A Contrary Cuss: Daniels 147; One Mad Mom: Steinberg 97, Truman 1973 73; The Right Stuff: Daniels 118, Steinberg 63; Green Grows the Senator: Daniels 177, Steinberg 119, 122, McCullough 213; Housing: Steinberg 123, 125, Ferrell 1994, 128‑9, 413, Smith 55; Freshman Jitters: Truman 1955 142, 144; A Workhorse: Kirkendall 325, Steinberg 135; Most Popular Senator: Playboy, June, 1978; A Common Man: Steinberg 135‑6; Best Qualified: Steinberg 134; Snot‑Nosed: U.S. Congress 30; Double‑Time: McCullough 281; No Hunting: Steinberg 137, Truman 1960a 84; No Shame: Truman 1973 187, Kirkendall 189; Doing the Right Thing: Daniels 205; A Stiff Old Senator: Ferrell 1980a 74‑5, Truman 1973 148, PP 1949 36, PP 1950 110; The Truman Committee: Strahan, 1‑3, 66‑7, 105, 139, 220‑2; Equal Treatment: Hersey 41; A Reluctant Candidate: Truman 1973 167; On Board: Ferrell I 980a 90; Change of Address: Daniels 255; Friends: Steinberg 229; Just Whistle: Steinberg 231; A Fateful Message: Truman 1955 4‑5; Leftovers for Dinner: Ferrell 1980b 16; Morning Prayers: Truman 1955 19; Commiseration: Smith 222‑3; Maternal Wisdom: Truman 1955 44, Hillman 114, Ferrell 1980b 19; A House Guest: Truman 1955 219‑20; Absent‑minded: Thompson 24; Walking: Truman 1960a 87, Truman 1973 229‑30, Smith 56; Father-Daughter Communion: Truman 1973 441; Souvenirs: Weddle, unnumbered page; Tiddlywinks: Steinberg 249; Lincoln Slept Here: West 60‑2; Self‑Reliance: Poen 1984 223, Truman 1981 24, Steinberg 13, 249, Truman 1960a 58; Making Amends: Truman 1960a 118‑20, Kirkendall 159; A Real Drink: Smith 59; Upstairs on the Front Porch: Smith 57; An Overqualified Page‑Turner: Hillman 203, McCullough 427‑8; No Fooling: McCullough 435; Top Secret: Truman 1955 415, Kirkendall 14, Gallu, unnumbered page; Tough Decision: Ferrell 1984 146, Ferrell 1994 214, Truman 1973 567, Dayton Daily News April 11, 1995; V‑J Day: Phillips 69; What Real Gentlemen Prefer: West 259, Kirkendall 358; I’ll Christen You: Steinberg 249, McCullough 576; Sounds Like Him: Hay 187; No Manure: West 78, U.S. Congress 142; Talk to Bess: Caldwell 41, Steinberg 291; Trimming the Guest List: Ferrell 1980b 67‑9, Ferrell 1994 189; Kicked Around: Truman 1973 294‑5; Just Call Me Harry: Steinberg 265; Old Novocaine: Acheson 149‑50; Hustling Winnie: Clifford: 100‑104, McCullough 487; Buzzing the White House: terHorst and Albertazzie 127‑9; Fertilizing Ohio: terHorst and Albertazzie 126‑7; Mother Knows Best: Steinberg 294, Poen 1984 211, Ferrell 1980b 367; Thinking of You: McCullough 623; The Truman Plan: Truman 1973 353; Duplicate Plans: Daniels 334‑5; Chivalry Lives: Kirkendall 390, Pemberton 118; Friend of Israel: McCullough 607, 620, Steinberg 308; Reconstruction: Kirkendall 10, 58, Leuchtenburg, Truman 1973 8, 392, Truman 1956 183; Giving ’Em Hell: Robert J. Donovan, Conflict and Crisis: The Presidency of Harry S Truman 1945‑1948 (New York: Norton, 1977), 420, Truman 1956 210, Clifford 226, Thompson 15; Whistle‑Stopping: Phillips 215, Steinberg 324‑5, Truman 1973 23; Dressed for the Occasion: McCullough 626; How to Catch Cold: Steinberg 325, Ross 87; Oompah: Fredericks 18‑9; A Skeptic: Clifford 234‑5; A Good Night’s Sleep: Truman 1956 220‑1, PP 1949 109‑10, Robbins 122‑3; An Honest Man: Allen 6‑7; Crow en glâce: McCullough 718‑9; RSVP: McCullough 725; Insolence: Clifford 72‑3, Acheson 717‑8; Studies in Probability: Hersey 136, Steinberg 137; Card Sharp: Clifford 70; Lobbying: Thompson 41; Tabloid Justice: Hersey 138; Friendship: Pemberton 153‑4; Loyalty: Hillman 198; Blowing Smoke: Goodman 110, McCullough 803; Outplacement: Leuchtenburg, Phillips 350; A Good Host: Hechler 54; A Nemesis in Need: Williams 196; Lovebirds: West 111-2; A Tough Day at the Office: Kirkendall 13, Acheson 460, Ferrell 1994 328; Nerves: Steinberg 337, Truman 1973 441; The Loss of a Friend: Truman 1973 499‑500; A Mad Dad: Thomson 104, Truman 1973 501‑3, Williams 187‑9, McCullough 827‑30; Something in Common: Hechler 28; Second Thoughts: Ferrell 1984 222; A Tough Move: Steinberg 418; A Disliked Ike: Truman 1960a 19‑20, Truman 1973 557, McCullough 921-2; Get a Grip: McCullough 930, Poen 1984 259; Unemployed: Goodman 174; Lawn Care: Truman 1960a 86, Truman 1973 664, Hay 276; Hard Feelings: Robbins 20; Where Were You When I Needed You?: Truman 1960a 57-8, Truman 1964, Truman 1973 567; No Mooching: Ferrell 1980b 352; Big Spender: Poem 1982 154; A Striking Resemblance: Steinberg 420-1, Truman 1960a 62-3; A Yank at Oxford: McCullough 956, Ferrell 1994 395-6; No Hard Feelings: Ferrell 1994 442; Sensitivity: Phillips 433-4; Empathy: Truman 1973 567-8; Still Reading: McCullough 986; No Problem: Poem 1984 269; Shave and a Haircut: Aurthur, August 1971; Priorities: Aurthur, September 1971; No Friend Forgotten: McCullough 985; Close to Home: U. S. Congress 117, McCullough 988, Truman 1986 432; Up in Smoke: Truman 1981 16.
Love, Harry
Margaret Truman: Truman 1981 24-5.
4/21/45: Williams 41; 5/13/45: Ferrell 1980b 23; 6/12/45: Ferrell 1984 148, McCullough 398; 7/3/45: Truman 1955 331, Poen 1984 190, McCullough 404; 7/18/45: Truman 1973 269; 8/12/45: Truman 1973 284; 9/22/45: Ferrell 1980b 69: 12/28/45: Poen 1982 172-3; 2/25/46: Ferrell 1980b 86; 6/12/46: Truman 1981 65; 8/9/46: Ferrell 1983 529-30; 8/23/46: Truman 1973 339, Truman 1981 69; 2/19/47: Ferrell 1980b 109-10; 9/28/47: Poem 1984 215; 11/14/47: Truman 1973 356, Ferrell 1980 118-9; 12/3/47: Truman 1981 102; 6/28/47: McCullough 580; 8/18/48: Ferrell 1980b 146-7; 10/5/48: Ferrell 1980b 149-50; 9/8/49: Ferrell 1980b 163-4; 10/29/49: Ferrell 1980b 167; 11/28/49: McCullough 755; 9/24/50: Ferrell 1980b 194-5; 11/17/50: Ferrell 1980b 198-9; 11/22/50: Ferrell 1980b 199; 12/20/50: Ferrell 1980b 205; 5/19/51: Poem 1984 246-7; 6/25/51: Ferrell 1983 564-5; 1/28/52: Ferrell 1980b 234-5; 5/11/52: Ferrell 1980b 248-9; 2/2/52: Ferrell 1980b 236-7; 11/25/52: Poem 1984 257-8; 4/10/55: Hechler 31; 8/20/55: Poen 1984 262; 3/19/56: Truman 1981 123-4; 2/11/58: Ferrell 1980b 356-7; 9/29/58: Ferrell 1980b 369-70.
Dear Diary
4/12/45: Ferrell 1980b 16; 5/27/45: Ferrell 1980b 38; 6/1/45: Hillman 118, Ferrell 1980b 40; 6/5/45: Ferrell 1980b 42-3; 6/17/45: Ferrell 1980b 47; 7/7/45: Hillman 122, Ferrell 1980b 48; 7/25/45: Ferrell 1980b 55-6; 9/20/47: Ferrell 1980b 66-7; Mid-12/47: Hillman 133-4; 1/6/48: Ferrell 1980b 122; 2/2/48: Ferrell 1980b 122; 2/8/48: Ferrell 1980b 123; 2/14/48: Ferrell 1980b 124; 7/16/48: Ferrell 1980b 144; 9/14/49: Hillman 143, Ferrell 1980b 168-9; 6/30/50: Ferrell 1980b 185; 8/15/50: Ferrell 1980b 188; 12/9/50: Hillman 36, Ferrell 1980b 204; 2/20/52: Ferrell 1980b 238-40; 6/1/52: Ferrell 1980b 251; 11/20/52: Ferrell 1980b 274; 5/20/53: Ferrell 1980b 292; 7/8/53: Ferrell 1980b 293; 2/2/55: Ferrell 1980b 313; 6/56: Ferrell 1980b 336; 1/21/60: Ferrell 1980b 385.
Press Relations
Truman: Gallen 47
1/31/46: PP 1946 102; 2/28/47: PP 1947 157; 4/3/47: PP 1947 192; 9/2/48: PP 1948 460; 12/2/48: PP 1948 955; 2/10/49: PP 1949 131; 3/3/49: PP 1949 157; 4/7/49: PP 1949 202; 6/16/49: PP 1949 294; 3/30/50: PP 1950 234; 4/13/50: PP 1950 252; 4/17/52: PP 1952-3 273; 1/15/53: PP 1952-3 1190-1, 1196.
My Fellow Americans
6/28/45: PP 1945 150; 10/3/45: PP 1945 362; 1/7/48: PP 1948 13; 6/12/48: PP 1948 335; 9/18/48: PP 1948 498; 9/20/48: PP 1948 518; 9/21/48: PP 1948 527; 9/23/48, Merced: PP 1948 549; 9/23/48, Fresno: PP 1948 550-1, McCullough 661; 10/14/48: PP 1948 786; 10/26/48: PP 1948 864; 2/24/49: PP 1949 145-6; 5/12/50: PP 1950 377; 10/25/50: PP 1950 686-7; 12/17/52: PP 1952-3 1085-6; 1/15/53: PP 1952-3 1197-1202.