Dear Bess: October 4, 1939
Transcript
Welcome to the Dear Bess and Dear Harry podcast, a service of Harry S Truman National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service. Today we would like to share with you a letter that Senator Harry S Truman wrote to his wife Bess on October 4, 1939. In this letter you get a hint of how funerals can lead to interesting political moments, and how the Trumans negotiated for cars. And it’s a nice example of how Harry Truman preferred Chryslers. In some of these letters the Trumans exchanged stories that evidently meant something to them. But since Mrs. Truman seemingly destroyed most of her correspondence to her husband, some of the references are unknown. That’s where detective work comes in. Maybe you would like to connect the dots based on what’s here? The original Dear Bess and Dear Harry letters are preserved for posterity at the Truman Library. The research room is open to all…not just historians and researchers. When COVID passes and the Truman Library opens, please consider visiting the research room. These materials are preserved for you! Many of them are online, too! Washington, D.C. October 4, 1939 Dear Bess: Your letter came just now and I am glad the special finally got there. I have to go to old man Logan's funeral - Barkley made a special request. I'm going over to Caruthersville and make a neutrality speech Sunday, so I'll have lots of letters when I get back here. Will call you from Memphis and from Caruthersville so we won't be out of touch. Barkley, Halsey, et al. think I should take advantage of the free ride to the funeral to help the situation on earth here, so I'm going to do it. Glad you don't feel too badly about Oscar. He's a lovable kid and I'm always sympathetic to the weak boys. Might have been one myself under certain conditions. But along lines like that I'm rather like my mamma, and she has no weaknesses except to talk too frankly. I'm pleased at the car deal. You will get the radio yet. The Chrysler, I think, is a better buy. We're learning how to deal at last. There's a hundred dollars we'd never have had if we'd jumped at the first offer. Whenever you think they've reached the end of their deal, take the car home and I'll fix it up when I get there. They told me that any deal I made would be either cash or credit. It look as if the Crown deal would pay for both trades if we make 'em. Mr. Clark is all the way in my band wagon. He's been almost on the edge of kissing me for two days. Got mad at the Gov. while he was here. I asked Mr. Shoop why he treated the Gov. so mean on his F.B.I. speech. Said he wouldn't have noticed him at all if he could have helped it. Kiss Margie, love to you, Harry
An interesting letter from Senator Harry Truman to his wife, October 4, 1939.
Funerals...car haggling...and Oscar?
The letter for today can be found here: https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/truman-papers/correspondence-harry-s-truman-bess-wallace-truman-1921-1959/october-4-1939