Dear Bess: June 12, 1945
Transcript
Welcome to the Dear Bess, Dear Harry podcast for June 12, 2024, brought to you by Harry S Truman National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service.
Today’s Dear Bess letter we’d like to share is from this date in 1945. President Harry S Truman writes his First Lady, who was back home in Independence, Missouri.
Truman was still in his first months of his presidency, and he misses his First Lady. But while in the White House, Truman feels a connection to some of his predecessors who lived there. There’s an interesting line in the middle of the letter when Truman alludes to being a County Judge in Jackson County, Missouri. At that time, County Judges were more of an administrative job, and not a judicial one. But Truman seems to make reference to his days as a Pendergast man, and it cannot be denied that he won those local elections with the help of Thomas J Pendergast and his machine.
We’ve shared this letter before, but we love it so we’re sharing it again!
The White House
June 12, 1945 Dear Bess: Just two mo nths ago today, I was a reasonably happy and contented Vice President. Maybe you can remember that far back too. But things have changed so much it hardly seems real.
I sit here in this old house and work on foreign affairs, read reports, and work on speeches--all the while listening to the ghosts walk up and down the hallway and even right in here in the study. The floors pop and the drapes move back and forth--I can just imagine old Andy and Teddy having an argument over Franklin. Or James Buchanan and Franklin Pierce deciding which was the more useless to the country. And when Millard Fillmore and Chester Arthur join in for place and show the din is almost unbearable. But I still get some work done.
Hope the weather lets up and you will be able to do some work on the house. The Gibson boy should have been taken care of long ago. I'll see what's happened. I'm not able to do as many things for my friends now as I did when I was just a dirty organization Democrat and a County Judge.
Guess you and Helen will have a grand time. Hope you do. We are working on Dr. Wallace. Glad everybody was in his right mind at the family party. Undoubtedly they were walking the straight and narrow for your mother. But I'm sure you had a nice time anyway.
That address mixed up is causing me some embarrassment (if that's the way you spell that blushing word). I addressed a letter to you at 4701 Conn. Ave, Independence, MO., and another one 219 North Delaware, Washington, D.C. Now it seems I sent one to the Nolands. The boys in the House here didn't catch that one but they did the other two. I'll have Reathal attend to the chores you suggest. I haven't seen her but twice since you left. She comes in after I go over to the office, usually goes out to lunch and doesn't come back until I am gone again and then goes home before I get over here. Had Charlie Ross and Rosenman to lunch yesterday. We worked on my San Francisco speech. That date is postponed until next week now on account of the slow windup and Gen. Eisenhower's visit.
Write me when you can--I hope every day.
Lots of love, Harry
Glad you saw Mamma and Mary
President Harry S Truman, in the White House, writes to his First Lady, back home in Independence, Missouri, supervising some repairs to their home at 219 North Delaware Street. Lots of charming tidbits in this letter!
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/truman-papers/correspondence-harry-s-truman-bess-wallace-truman-1921-1959/june-12-1945