MP66-5 Harry S. Truman Interviewed by Edward R. Murrow, February 1957 (3 of 12)

Outtakes from Edward R. Murrow's interview of former president Harry S. Truman at the Olney Inn in Islamorada, Florida, between February 8-15, 1957; filmed by Charles Mack and Martin Barnett. Subject matter on this reel includes: seizure of the steel mills; a story of crossing the equator which illustrated the phrase, "A Chinaman's chance;" distortions about Truman in the media; the most difficult policy Truman had to "sell" to the American people (overcome misrepresentations about him in the 1948 campaign); discussion of Truman's memoirs; the possibility of running again in 1952; counseling Eisenhower as he was deciding to run for president; professional soldiers versus civilian soldiers and the suitability of professional soldiers in politics; Truman's appointments to the Supreme Court; Truman's thick skin for criticism unless it's against his family; coalition governments; impressions of Charles de Gaulle; reversing the isolationist policy of the US; recognizing communist China; the importance of Formosa; the importance of NATO; disarmament; colonialism; relationship with Middle Eastern states; advice to aspiring young politicians and importance of an informed citizenry; imperfect method of selecting a president and the primaries, and the buying of elections by those with the most money to spend; Republicans being the party of special interests while Democrats embrace common people; potential to harness atomic energy; the difficulties of the government releasing information; the importance of meeting people in person during a campaign, and getting voters to laugh at your opponent, and the influence of the media on an election; making and teaching history, and Truman's love of historical biography; the beginnings of the Korean War; the decision to develop and use atomic weapons; consolidation of the military; lightening the load of a president and the constitutional requirements of the president; the 80th Congress; and the rights of reporters to do their jobs at home and abroad.
Some of the material in this reel duplicates some material on MP66-4 and MP66-6 except that it was shot from a different angle.
This series of interviews between Murrow and Truman constitute the raw material that was edited into the CBS program "From Precinct to President: Some Reflections by Harry S. Truman" which aired on February 2, 1958 and was rebroadcast during CBS funeral coverage when Mr. Truman passed away in December, 1972. They are for viewing and research purposes only. For inquiries about reproductions, please contact the Truman Library.
This film is part of the Motion Picture series at the Truman Library. Please see this link for the National Archives Catalog record: catalog.archiv...