1947 Diary Found in Truman Library

[kskiska]

President Was Willing to Yield Democratic Nomination to Eisenhower

Archivists today announced the discovery of a diary kept in 1947 by President Harry S. Truman that details his willingness to yield the 1948 Democratic presidential nomination to then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower if Gen. Douglas MacArthur sought the Republican nomination.

On July 25, 1947, Truman and Eisenhower had a conversation about MacArthur's prospects:

"Ike & I think MacArthur expects to make a Roman Triumphal return to the U.S. a short time before the Republican Convention meets in Philadelphia. I told Ike that if he did that that he (Ike) should announce for the nomination for President on the Democratic ticket and that I'd be glad to be in second place, or Vice President. I like the Senate anyway. Ike & I could be elected and my family & myself would be happy outside this great white jail, known as the White House.

"Ike won't quot me & I won't quote him."

The entry came years before Truman's famous firing of MacArthur during the Korean war.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38849-2003Jul10.html?nav=hptop_tb

[CMT]

1. interesting find

which would seem to back up what historians have been saying for years that Truman did offer Ike the democratic nomination in 1948.

[roguevalley]

2. how is that for putting your country first?

I love Harry Truman.

[DemoTex]

3. Readings from new-found HST diary on NPR "All Things Considered" today.

Very, very interesting.

[JasonBerry]

4. What a find!

Truman knew the REAL Ike -- An old-fashioned liberal Republican. Hell, I don't know if the Ripon Society is even still around. Anybody know?

[JasonBerry]

6. Just found out

I just called a friend who knows all of these things. He said the Ripon Society, the former organization of Liberal Republicans has been hijacked and is no longer what it once was. Though, he said, a few of the "moderates" are trying to take it back and return it to its real roots.

[IndianaGreen]

5. July 1947 was also the alleged crash of a UFO in Roswell, NM

I wonder if there are any entries in Truman's diary that lend credence, or debunk, the UFO story.

[JasonBerry]

7. IndianaGreen

hummmm. Interesting thought. By the way, I LOVE your posts. Keep 'em coming. I know you catch hell from a lot of posters here at DU for being a Marxist. I don't call myself as such, more out of being a wimp maybe than anything. One thing is for sure: the writings of Karl Marx are as fresh today and as relevant - if not MORE SO - than ever before. I applaud your standing up to be counted and not taking any crap for your steadfast beliefs.

[Octafish]

11. Gee whiz, Indiana! That's what I was looking for.

June 24, 1947 — Kenneth Arnold sights a formation of fast-moving metallic objects, moving like a saucer skipping along the surface of water.

July 4, 1947 — The Commander of Roswell USAAF Base orders his PIO to release news they've recovered a crashed flying saucer, parts of which are reported to behave like no metal seen before.

September 18, 1947 — The National Security Act of 1947 established the National Security Council (NSC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); ostensibly both are formed to fight the Commies, but you might as well toss in the Alien file if you're looking for a place to keep something secret.

PS: ¡Lo sabia! Tu y blm.

[9215]

13. About the time the Soviets got the "Bomb".

hee, hee.

[Merlin]

8. HST was the real thing. This is a precious historical find.

"Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I've found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes."

And did you notice, on this page of the WaPo on line, at the bottom, there were two ads:

Hillary for President
Another Bush recession. Another Clinton recovery.
www.HillaryIn2004.org

and

Unprecedented documentary
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election stolen by Bush
out on DVD
www.shoutfactory.com

[JasonBerry]

10. Except for ONE thing

That horrible, horrible decision to use the bomb on civilians instead of demonstrating it in an unpopulated area. And Nagasaki? NO EXCUSE for that one - AT ALL. A real blight. In fact, I have the greatest pencil drawing of Truman in an expensive frame, the whole bit. I can't bring myself to hanging it because of - the bomb.

[DemoTex]

9. I am reminded that there are two famous HSTs.

Harry S. Truman
Hunter S. Thompson

[kskiska]

12. Interesting fact about HST's name

USE OF THE PERIOD AFTER THE "S" IN
HARRY S. TRUMAN'S NAME

S Period signature In recent years the question of whether to use a period after the "S" in Harry S. Truman's name has become a subject of controversy, especially among editors. The evidence provided by Mr. Truman's own practice argues strongly for the use of the period. While, as many people do, Mr. Truman often ran the letters in his signature together in a single stroke, the archives of the Harry S. Truman Library has numerous examples of the signature written at various times throughout Mr. Truman's lifetime where his use of a period after the "S" is very obvious.

Mr. Truman apparently initiated the "period" controversy in 1962 when, perhaps in jest, he told newspapermen that the period should be omitted. In explanation he said that the "S" did not stand for any name but was a compromise between the names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. He was later heard to say that the use of the period dated after 1962 as well as before.

more…
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/speriod.htm