If You Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Dog! - Harry Truman

The visit my wife and I made to the Truman Library brought back some old memories for me.  We were married August 18, 1972 and moved from Springfield to Grandview, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City, and the location of the Truman family farm.  Former President Truman and his wife Bess lived in Independence, Mo. just east of Kansas City, at the time.

I found a lot of parallels to today as we toured the library. President Truman spoke his mind and was not all that popular with the Press. He was elected Vice-President in 1944, serving with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was in ill health.  He was elevated to the Presidency when FDR passed away in Warm Springs, Ga. on April 12, 1945 with World War II still underway. Later that same year, Truman made the momentous decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan. The Japanese surrendered unconditionally, saving the lives of the many American soldiers who would have been called on to invade Japan had the bombs not been dropped.

Chicago Daily Tribune
November 3, 1948

Polls gave President Truman very little chance to win the Presidential election of 1948. The front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune carried the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" the morning after the election.  President Truman took great joy in his impersonation of NBC newsman H. V. Kaltenborn predicting Truman's defeat.  You can watch this short clip to see that impersonation:

Truman impersonates newsman who predicted his defeat

President Truman did not govern by polls.  He did what he thought was right.  Before he left office in 1952, his approval rating had sunk to 22%.  Yet when a survey was taken in the year 2000, he was selected as one of the top 5 Presidents in American history up to that point.

President Truman passed away on December 26, 1972, less than 4 months after our move to the the "big city".  He once summed up his life's philosophy as:  "Work Hard. Do your best. Keep your word. Never get too big for your britches. Trust in God. Have no fear. And never forget a friend!"

He also famously said "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" And he had a plaque on his desk that said "THE BUCK STOPS HERE".

His statement that "You can't get rich in politics unless you are a crook" might raise some eyebrows today, but he said what he (and more than a few others) believe.

He presciently noted that "The difficulty with businessmen entering politics after they've had a successful business career, is that they want to start at the top"; and also "A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he can be elected without it."

Though some people encouraged him to "Give 'em hell, Harry!" he explained, "I never did give anyone hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell!"

Harry S. Truman - 33rd President of the United States, 

Born May 8, 1884 - Died December 26, 1972   R.I.P.