"UNDER A CASCADE OF SMILES & FRIENDLY WORDS"

KENNEDY-TRUMAN BURY HATCHET, FORMER PRESIDENT GIVES JFK FULL SUPPORT

Independence, Missouri (JFK+50) On August 21, 1960, The Sunday Star reports that yesterday "former President (Harry S.) Truman* and Senator (John F.) Kennedy buried their differences under a cascade of smiles and friendly words."

Mr. Truman promised his "full support," saying after their meeting at the Truman Library here in Independence...

"It came out all right and I'm going to support him."

The former POTUS is to make his first campaign appearance with Senator Kennedy in Marion, Indiana on Labor Day.

JFK+50 NOTE

Truman initially opposed JFK's nomination because he thought him too young & inexperienced to be POTUS.  He said, "Senator Kennedy are you ready for the country & is the country ready for you as president?

Also, he had a deep-seated animosity toward JFK's father.  At a press conference, he even referred to JFK as "Joseph Kennedy," later saying he had meant to say "John Kennedy." 

*Harry S Truman (1884-1972) was born in Lamar, Missouri & served in WWI as an artillery officer.  HST assumed the presidency on FDR's death & served as 33rd POTUS 1945-1953.  He won a surprising election victory over Thomas Dewey in 1948.

SOURCE

"Truman, Kennedy Bury All Their Differences," by Cecil Holland, The Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., August 21, 1960, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

Former President Truman Visits JFK at White House

January 21 1961

Photo by Abbie Rowe

USNA

"VICTORY IN THE WEST MUST BE WON IN THE EAST"

ALLIES ACCEPT NAZI GERMANY'S UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

Dayton, Ohio (JFK+50) On May 8, 1945, V-E Day, The Daily Bulletin here in Dayton published on its front page the text of President Harry S Truman's "proclamation on the end of the war in Europe."

The proclamation begins with these words...

"The allied armies, through sacrifice and devotion and God's help, have won from Germany a final and unconditional surrender.  The western world has been freed of the evil forces which have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions...

The victory won in the west now must be won in the east."

JFK+50 NOTE

The Second World War continued on after the surrender of Germany and did not end until the Empire of Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.  That surrender did not come, however, until after atomic bombs exploded over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

WWII lasted from September 1 1939 to September 2 1945.  My dad served in the US Army medical corps in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945. He worked in army hospitals in the Philippines & Australia.

SOURCE

"V-E Day Proclaimed," The Daily Bulletin, Dayton, Ohio, May 8, 1945, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/ 

 

 

News, V.E. Day

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"SHOCKED WASHINGTON D.C. TO ITS FOUNDATION"

FDR DIES UNEXPECTEDLY IN WARM SPRINGS, GEORGIA; TRUMAN SWORN IN AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On April 12, 1945, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who had led the Nation out of the Great Depression and through most of the Second World War, "died unexpectedly" of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Death came to the President at his summer cottage here in Warm Springs* where he had been residing for about a week.  Mr. Roosevelt was pronounced dead at 3:35 p.m. Eastern War Time.

Vice-President Harry S Truman "has been notified" and rushed to the White House where Eleanor Roosevelt gave him the bad news.  Mr. Truman's response to the First Lady was "Mrs. Roosevelt, is there anything we can do for you?" to which she answered, "No, Harry, is there anything we can do for you, for you are the one in trouble now."

The Associated Press reports the Vice-President's staff stood around the Senate Office Building with "their faces pale as though they had been stunned by the unexpected news."

Mr. Truman was sworn in as President of the United States at 7:09 p.m. (EWT) at the White House on April 12, 1945.

The Apache Sentinel states...

"The death of President Roosevelt shocked Washington to its foundation."

*Warm Springs is located in Meriwether County, 39 miles NE of Columbus, Georgia.  Originally named Bullochville, the town remains the home of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.

JFK+50 NOTE

FDR had come to Warm Springs to avail himself of the therapeutic waters there since 1924.  During his presidency, his cottage built in 1932, was known as "The Little White House."  

On April 12 1945, the President had been sitting for a portrait when he said "I have a terrific headache."  FDR was taken to his bedroom where he passed away.

SOURCES

"President Dies Of Cerebral Hemorrhage At Warm Springs, Ga," The Apache Sentinel, April 13, 1945, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

"Warm Springs Historic District," www.nps.gov/

 

 

Color Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt

by Leon A. Perske (1944)

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

 

"FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TELEVISED FROM THE WHITE HOUSE"

TRUMAN SPEAKS TO THE NATION ON TELEVISION

Washington, D.C.(JFK+50) On October 5, 1947, President Harry S Truman gave the "first ever presidential address televised from the White House."*

President Truman's topic was "How Americans could cut back on food consumption" in light of European farmers being hit by droughts, floods and cold weather in the aftermath of World War II.

Mr. Truman admonished Americans who were "overeating and wasting food in taking more than a fair share."  The President said...

"Their most urgent need is food.  If the peace should be lost because we failed to share....there would be no more tragic example in all of history of a peace needlessly lost." 

The President called for "meatless Tuesdays" as well as the giving up of eggs and poultry on Thursdays.  He also requested Americans cut back on bread and said that public restaurants would serve bread and butter "only on request."

*Television itself was still in its infancy.  There were approximately 44,000 televisions in the United States in 1947 and most of those were in the New York City area.  The first regularly scheduled TV service began on station W3XK in Wheaton, Maryland on July 2, 1928.  WNBT began commercial television programming in 1941. 

SOURCES

"Live From the White House:  The First-Ever Televised Presidential Speech," by Stacy Conradt, Mental-floss, www.mentalfloss.com/

"Radio and Television Address Concluding a Program by the Citizens Food Committee, October 5, 1947," The American Presidency Project, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/

President Truman's Farewell Address

January 15, 1953
Truman Library Image

WE WERE AGAINST THE KAISER'S PICK BUT THEY RAN JUST THE SAME

HARRY TRUMAN HAS A PART IN THE GREAT DRIVE

Western Front, France (JFK+50) On October 6, 1918, future POTUS Harry S Truman wrote a letter to future FIRST LADY Bess Wallace (Truman).  He wrote....

"The great drive has taken place and I had a part in it.  I shot out a German Battery, (and) shot up his big observation post.  I brought my Battery forward under fire & never lost a horse nor man.

The future president concluded the letter by writing...

"We were on the most famous battlefield of the war in front of the town the Germans couldn't take, and were against the Kaiser's pick but they ran just the same.  I hope the censor don't see that."

SOURCE

"Letter from Harry to Bess, October 6, 1918", Harry S Truman Library and Museum, www.trumanlibrary.org/

Harry S Truman

France 1918

Truman Library Photo

NARA Image

NO GERMAN SHELL IS MADE THAT CAN HIT ME

TRUMAN FIRES 500 ROUNDS AT THE GERMANS

Western Front (JFK+50) On September 1, 1918, future POTUS Harry S. Truman wrote future First Lady Bess Wallace (Truman) after having been put in charge of "Battery D"*.  Truman wrote...

"Have fired five hundred rounds at the Germans at my command, been shelled, didn't run away...and never lost a man."

He described the previous week as "the most strenuous" of his life but he wrote that he was in "good condition physically, mentally and morally."

Truman concluded...

"Please don't worry...because no German shell is made that can hit me."

*Corporal Harry Truman was assigned to Battery D, 129th Field Artillery.

SOURCE

"World War I Letter from Harry to Bess", Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, www.trumanlibrary.org/

Truman In Uniform (1918)

France

NARA Photo

I RECKON I OUGHT TO GET TO HEAVEN SOMEHOW

HARRY TRUMAN THANKS BESS FOR CHURCH FLAG STAR

Somewhere in France (still far from the Front) (JFK+50) On July 31, 1918, future POTUS Harry S Truman wrote a letter to future FLOTUS Bess Wallace.  The letter, written on YMCA stationery, was headed with the words "With The Colors."

Captain Truman wrote...

"I am going to buy you an iron cross or German helmet...you can tell 'em I captured it."

Harry also wrote about the success of his Irish (D) Battery in "out-firing the others" on the practice range.

The Captain also thanked Bess for putting a star on the church flag in his honor.  He wrote...

"I believe in all churches.  I had a Presbyterian bringing up, a Baptist education and Episcopal leanings, so I reckon I ought to get into heaven somehow."*

*The letter was signed "Harry S Truman, Captain 129, FA, American E.F."

SOURCE

"Letter from Harry S Truman to Bess Wallace, July 31, 1918," Truman Papers, Harry S Truman Presidential Library, www.trumanlibrary.org/

First Page

HST Truman to BW

July 31 1918

HST Presidential Library

MY MIND IS OCCUPIED WITH A GIRL IN THE USA

HARRY TRUMAN MAKES CAPTAIN IN "UNCLE SAM'S ARMEE"

Angers, France (JFK+50) One hundred years ago, June 19, 1918, future POTUS Harry S Truman* wrote a letter to future First Lady Bess Wallace (Truman)** describing the afternoon as "the grandest...I've spent since I've been in France."

The reason?

Harry had received 7 letters from his future bride as well as several more from other folks.  The latest from Bess was dated May 20th, 1918.  And Harry had some good news to tell her...

"I'm a real Captain in Uncle Sam's Armee.  I am an Adjutant of the Second Battalion."

Harry also commented on his lack of interest in French girls.  He wrote...

"my mind  is occupied with a girl in the USA of a kind they don't make in France..."

HST also said that he got plenty to eat but would give 6 months pay for a Sunday dinner at Bess's house.   Bess Truman once said...

"A woman's place in public is to sit beside her husband, be silent, and be sure her hat is on straight."

*Harry S Truman (1884-1972) was born in Lamar, Missouri, served in the US Army in World War I, the United States Senate (1935-1945), Vice-President (1945) & 33rd POTUS (1945-1953).

**Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Wallace Truman (1885-1982) was born in Independence, Missouri.  She is known as the longest-lived First Lady.

Harry Truman proposed to BWT in 1911, but she turned him down.  They married on June 28, 1919.

SOURCE

"Letter from Harry S Truman to Bess Wallace, June 19, 1918", Truman Papers-Family, Business and Public Affairs Papers, The Truman Presidential Library, www.trumanlibrary.org/

GREATEST UPSET IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HISTORY

DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN...TALK ABOUT FAKE NEWS

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) 69 years ago today, November 2, 1948, a presidential election was held between incumbent President Harry S Truman and Governor Thomas E. Dewey.  All polls had Dewey as the clear favorite.

In order to boost his chances, the President conducted a nation-wide whistle stop campaign speaking to crowds from his railroad car.  He appealed to hard-working American citizens when he said...

"Any working man or farmer who votes against the Democratic party ought to have his head examined."

By the Fall of 1948, Mr. Truman, who took office on the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, was even unpopular in his own Democratic party.

Unwilling to "dump" Truman at the 1948 Democratic Convention, some delegates wore buttons which read..."I'm Just Mild About Harry," a play on the popular song of the day "I'm Just Wild About Harry."

Nevertheless, Truman shocked everyone when he won.  It was to go down as the greatest upset in presidential election history.  

The Chicago Daily Tribune of Wednesday, November 3rd published the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN," and a beaming POTUS was later photographed holding the paper up for all to see. 

The final totals were...

Electoral Votes:   Truman (D)      303
                                    Dewey (R)         189
                                    Thurmond          39

Popular Votes:  Truman (D)  24,179,347
                                 Dewey (R)     21,991,292
                                 Thurmond       1,175,930

Chicago Daily Tribune

November 3, 1948

Displayed at The Newseum

Washington, D.C.

Photo by John White (2016)

Truman on Whistle-Stop Campaign

Truman Library Photo

     

THEY'VE GOT TO DO BETTER OR WE'LL DO OUR OWN WASHING

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2462

A LETTER FROM HARRY TRUMAN TO BESS WALLACE

Lawton, Oklahoma (JFK+50) 100 years ago today, October 5, 1917, future United States president Harry S Truman* wrote a letter to future first lady Bess Wallace here in Lawton.

Lieutenant Truman complained in the letter about the high prices for goods being sold to soldiers.  He was particularly critical of the laundries which...

"added 40 per cent to their prices.  The way they were charging, it would cost a man fifty-four cents to get a shirt and pants and socks washed."

He added...

"they've got to do better or we'll do our own washing."

The Lieutenant also told of how he had tried unsuccessfully to buy a "carload of pop" from Coca Cola.  He wrote....

"So there is another combination in restraint of trade.  I'm not going to sell pop."

The future president concluded...

"Remember me to your mother...and yourself first, last and all the time."

*Before deployment to France, Truman was sent for training to Camp Doniphan, Ft. Sill, near Lawton, Oklahoma.  Lt. Truman ran the camp with Edward Jacobson, a clothing store clerk from Kansas City.

Truman met James Pendergast, the nephew of Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast while at Ft. Sill.

SOURCE

"Letter from Harry S Truman to Bess Wallace", October 5, 1917, Harry S Truman Presidential Library and Museum, www.trumanlibrary.org/

Wedding Photo 
Harry & Bess Wallace Truman
Independence, MO
June 28, 1919
Truman Library Photo

MEDICARE'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

MEDICARE IS 50 YEARS OLD TODAY

Independence, Missouri (JFK+50) A half-century ago today, July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Medicare Act of 1965 in a
historic ceremony held at the Harry S Truman Library here in Independence.

Not only was Mr. Truman on hand for the ceremony, he was the first person to enroll and the first to get his Medicare card.*  The 33rd POTUS was so honored because he was the first chief executive to propose a national health insurance program for senior citizens.

President Johnson said to President Truman before he signed up for the program...

"We know and want you to know that we haven't forgotten who is the REAL DADDY of Medicare."

Medicare, which was expected to cover 20,000 citizens in 1966, was made available to those who were 65 years of age or older.The program is funded, like Social Security, by payroll taxes.

According to Steve Anderson of Medicare Resources, the idea for national health care originated with Theodore Roosevelt who, as the Progressive Party's candidate for President in 1912, advocated it.

The idea resurfaced in November 1945 when President Harry S Truman called for the creation of a national health insurance fund.  President John F. Kennedy continued the advocacy of medical care for the aged prior to LBJ's success in getting the legislation through Congress.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy says...

"Medicare has been an incredible success.  It's our turn to ensure it continues...and opens doors to healthcare and economic security for future generations."

CMA cites the following statistics as proof of Medicare's success...

*Before Medicare less than 50% of the elderly had health insurance, by 1970 under Medicare 96% of the elderly were covered.

**The life expectancy increased for men by 8 years with the Medicare program while women's life expectancy rose by 5 years.

***10 million Americans were enrolled the first year of Medicare, today 54 million Americans are enrolled.

According to David S. Ball writing in The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C.,  

"Despite its warts and room for improvement, Medicare remains more efficient than private health insurance.  Its costs have risen more slowly, and yet it provides better access to care, better financial protection, and higher patient satisfaction."

*Mr. Truman's card was #1 & Bess Truman's card was #2.

LBJ Signs Medicare Act of 1965

Independence, Missouri

July 30, 1965

LBJ Library Photo

SOURCES

"A brief history of Medicare in America," by Steve Anderson, Medicare Resources, www.medicareresources.org/

"Medicare's  50th Anniversary," Center for Medicare Advocacy," www.medicareadvocacy.org/

"Medicare's success deserves celebration on its 49th birthday," by David S. Ball, R.N. MHA, Post and Courier, July 30, 2014.