Table Of ContentOFF THE RECORD
OFF THE RECORD
THE PRIVATE PAPERS OF
Harry S. Truman
Edited by ROBERT H. FERRELL
W HARPER & ROW, PUBLISHERS, New York
j Cambridge; Hagerstown, Philadelphia, San Francisco,
1817 London, Mexico City, Sào Paulo, Sydney
While portions of this work created by the editor have been copyrighted, it should be noted
that Mr. Truman’s writings have been dedicated to the people of the United States and are
therefore in the public domain.
OFF THE record: the private papers of harry s. truman. Copyright © 1980 by Robert H. Ferrell.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used
or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Harper fit
Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10022. Published simultaneously in
Canada by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, Toronto.
FIRST EDITION
Designer: Sidney Feinberg
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Truman, Harry S Pres. U. S., 1884-1972.
Off the record.
Includes index.
1. Truman, Harry S., Pres. U. S., 1884-1972.
2. Presidents—United States—Biography. I. Ferrell,
Robert H. II. Title.
E742.5.T6 1980 973.918 092*4 [B] 79-3390
ISBN 0-06-011281-6
80 81 82 83 84 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
A Note on the Editing
Introduction 1
1945 : 9
1946 : 77
1947 : 105
1948 : 121
1949 : 154
1950 : 170
1951 : 207
1952 : 223
1953-1971 : 284
Source Notes 413
Index 425
ILLUSTRATIONS
All photographs courtesy of the Harry S. Truman Library
These photographs follow page 112.
Harry S. Truman driving the cultivator on the family farm, about 1911
Clowning with cousins Mary Colgan and Nellie Noland, and James Craig
Captain Harry S. Truman in France
Harry S. Truman and Bess Wallace Truman, bride and groom, June, 1919
Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery in Kansas City, Missouri
Truman’s first political platform, 1922
Senator Harry S. Truman with fellow politicians at the Democratic Na
tional Convention in Philadelphia, 1936
Truman and President Franklin Roosevelt planning campaign strategy,
1944
Bess and Margaret Truman at the Democratic National Convention in
Chicago, 1944
Truman and his mother, Mrs. John A. Truman
With members of his family listening to the election returns, 1944
Ethel Noland
Nellie Noland
Rose A. Conway, Truman’s personal secretary
At the piano
These photographs follow page 208.
Harry S. Truman being sworn in as President on April 12, 1945
At Potsdam with Stalin and the American and Russian delegations
Triple handshake at Potsdam: Churchill, Truman, and Stalin
Announcing the surrender of Japan on August 14, 1945
viii Illustrations
Truman awarding a Congressional Medal of Honor
With Winston Churchill on the way to Fulton, Missouri, for the “Iron
Curtain” speech
With James F. Byrnes, former secretary of state and his successor, George
C. Marshall
Truman displays one of his famous scambled-egg ties
At the Little White House in Key West, Florida, with Matt Connelly and
Charlie Ross
President and Mrs. Truman fishing in Key West
Jimmy Roosevelt arriving in Philadelphia for the 1948 Democratic Con
vention
Harry S. Truman and Alben W. Barkley, the Democratic nominees, 1948
Campaigning by railroad
Discussing the problems of farmers in Dexter, Iowa
Handwritten diary entry, June 15, 1952, page 257.
These photographs follow page 304.
Harry S. Truman, President in his own right, taking the oath in 1949
Truman and the Shah of Iran at a state banquet
Blair House
President Truman riding in a heavily guarded limousine after the assas
sination attempt
Marching in the 35th Division reunion parade
Truman and General MacArthur meet at Wake Island
Former President Truman and family leaving Washington at the end of
his term
The Truman home in Independence, Missouri
Truman walking alone in Independence
The former President addressing a high-school audience
In San Marco Square, Venice
Mr. and Mrs. Truman greet their grandchildren
With Mary Jane and J. Vivian Truman at the Truman Library
Harry S. Truman and Bess W. Truman on their fiftieth anniversary
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My thanks must go to the able director of the Harry S. Truman Library
in Independence, Missouri, Benedict K. Zobrist; the equally helpful as
sistant director, George Curtis; and the wonderful members of the staff
—Vicky Alexander, Dennis E. Bilger, Patty Bressman, Mildred L. Carol,
Harry Clark, John Curry, Diane Farris, Niel M. Johnson, Philip D. Lager-
quist, Warren Ohrvall, Doris Pesek, and Pauline Testerman. Elizabeth
Safly, the librarian, produced answers to questions, and gave me books
about cats to present to my daughter. And as mentioned below, in thé
Introduction, without the help of Erwin J. Mueller the Private Papers
would not now be published.
Mrs. Howard Carvin most kindly opened her house at 400 North
Delaware to me, as she has done for so many library researchers.
Corona Machemer, my editor at Harper & Row, compressed my
tautologies, curbed my academic tendencies to relate the three sides of
the coin, cut out Truman items that were repetitive or too special to be
of interest to present-day readers, and called attention to gaps in the
introductions, headnotes, and notes. Her help was invaluable.
My thanks, too, to Liza Pulitzer, also of Harper & Row, for much
assistance, especially with the photographs.
Richard B. Morris and Henry Steele Commager have been most un
derstanding about the publication of the Private Papers, which suddenly
took precedence over a project for which I am responsible to them.
It is awkward to put together a book from materials in Independence
when living in Bloomington, Indiana; for patience during my twenty-six
trips from Indianapolis to Kansas City, I am grateful to Lila and Carolyn.
R.H.F.
Independence, Missouri
July 4, 1980
