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Screen Gems Collection

Outtakes from Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman

Compiled by Brent Pennel, Pauline Testerman, and Amy L. Williams (2003); Pauline Testerman (2007, 2009).


The Screen Gems Collection consists of outtakes created during the production of the film series, Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman. Included is material created by both Talent Associates, Ltd. and Screen Gems, Inc. Material ranges from informal interviews with Truman, members of his family, and associates, to more formal, scripted readings by Truman. There are a few instances of historical footage from unknown sources that was gathered for use in the production. The subject matter includes Truman's personal life as well as his decisions as president. Sound recordings comprise about 90% of the collection. Formats include 35mm and 16mm black and white film, reel-to-reel tape, and 35mm and 16mm soundtracks.

The outtakes are listed below by accession number, which is the number researchers need when requesting to view or obtain a copy of an outtake. All of the films in the Truman Library's collection are available for viewing at the Library and for copying. The films are not loaned. For additional information about the Screen Gems Collection, please contact the archives staff by telephone at 816-268-8228, by e-mail at truman.reference@nara.gov, or by writing to the Library at 500 West U.S. Highway 24, Independence, Missouri 64050.

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Search Results: 551

Screen Gems Collection

35mm/1 minute 10 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman talks about the negotiation process at Potsdam, between the United States, England, and Russia, and finding a way to keep the agreements that they made.

/2 minutes 57 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman discusses forcing the Russians to meet their agreements, and the only way to do this was to maintain a greater force. He gives an example. When the allies had agreed on a date that they would pull their military forces out of Azerbaijan, the Americans complied and the Russians did not. Truman threatened to put troops back and to move the Pacific Fleet into the Persian Gulf, and the Russians removed their military within a week. A part of this segment repeats with different camera angle.

35mm/11 minutes 17 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman sits at his desk answering multiple questions for the Decision series, including the importance of the farmer, his experience as a haberdashery business owner with Eddie Jacobson, and the circumstances that brought him into local county politics, then the Senate, then the Vice Presidency, and finally the Presidency.

35mm/34 seconds
Description:

Harry S. Truman talks about some of the people he was trying to help who were doing everything they could to prevent being helped. Sound only.

/11 minutes 19 seconds
Description:

Mike Flynn, speaking from his law office, recalls meeting Harry S. Truman when they both served in Battery D during World War I. He remembers how the Battery D soldiers used to hang out at Harry S. Truman and Eddie Jacobson's haberdashery after World War I. He also recalls how President Truman took a personal interest in Mr. Flynn's family when they suffered the loss of their son. Finally, he discusses how President Truman was willing to listen to their concerns when the Office of Price Stabilization was trying to rollback the price of cattle.

Because this is an interview with someone other than Mr. Truman, the copyright of this item is unknown. 

/51 seconds
Description:

Former President Harry S. Truman discusses negotiating with the Russians after WWII. He says that having the atomic bomb put the United States in a position of strength. He also discusses the arrangement in Korea, with the Russians north of the 38th parallel and the Americans south.

/48 seconds
Description:

Former President Harry S. Truman discusses the allied strategy of bombing Germany cities to obliterate their factories.

35mm/2 minutes 24 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman refers to a bill he was forced to sign that opened the door to misery, and his struggle with getting the wartime industrial economy back to a peacetime footing. This take repeats itself from different camera angles.

35mm/1 minute 2 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman stands in front of a screen with pictures illustrating Allied conferences and maps of Europe. He alludes to how the Allies were fussing like a bunch of in-laws, and how British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wanted a buffer zone between the USSR and western Europe.

/40 seconds
Description:

Former President Harry S. Truman recalls that when he became president, he was worried about the effect it would have on his wife, Bess Truman, and his daughter, Margaret Truman.

/2 minutes 24 seconds
Description:

Former president Truman acknowledges the toll that the presidency takes on family members. He recalls how Bess Truman and Margaret Truman reacted to Secret Service. He also recalls a conversation he had with President Garfield's son about his life in the White House.

35mm/1 minute
Description:

Harry S. Truman says that he wanted to get something done about recognition of Israel, but everyone was against him. Sound only.

/1 minute 23 seconds
Description:

Former President Harry S. Truman stands in front of a screen with a photograph of himself taken during the time he served as Senator from Missouri. He say that the members of the Senate and the House are men of good caliber, but they have a rivalry to see who can get credit for legislating. In the end, it takes both to get a bill to the President's desk.

/2 minutes 41 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman explains why it was necessary for the United States to shift its foreign policy from isolationism to internationalism. He explains that the newspapers gave it the name "The Truman Doctrine" but all it really was was an aspect of American foreign policy designed to keep communism from spreading into areas previously influenced by Great Britain and France.

16mm/32 minutes 25 seconds
Description:

Merle Miller interviews former president Harry S. Truman. He asks several questions and there is discussion on a number of topics. Sound only.

/35 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman sets the stage for what was happening on August 6th, 1945, the day the United States bombed Hiroshima. He says at that time, American forces were preparing to be killed as they faced fighting in Luzon (Philippines). 

35mm/1 minute 18 seconds
Description:

Harry S. Truman speaking briefly about the horror of the concentration camps in Germany, and the recognition of Israel. He also mentions his experiences with the haberdashery and losing his business; his identification with people who are "broke." Sound only.

35mm/52 seconds
Description:

Harry S. Truman's sister, Mary Jane Truman, describes Truman's farming abilities. Sound only.

35mm/41 seconds
Description:

Mary Jane Truman speaks of rose bushes in a blue grass yard on the Grandview farm. Sound only.

/4 minutes 44 seconds
Description:

Former president Harry S. Truman discusses his background as a farmer, and being accused of socialism when he wanted to help the farmers with the Brannan Plan. This item is repeated with different camera angles.

35mm/7 minutes 8 seconds
Description:

Mrs. Eddie Jacobson talks about the relationship between Harry S. Truman and Eddie Jacobson. Sound only.

/36 seconds
Description:

Harry S. Truman speaks of the history of the decision to resist aggression in Korea. However, there is as yet no peace in Korea, only a truce, and their future remains unresolved. Sound only.

35mm/7 minutes 8 seconds
Description:

Mrs. Eddie Jacobson describes her wedding to Eddie Jacobson and their relationship with the Trumans. Sound only.

16mm/25 minutes 16 seconds
Description:

Interview by Merle Miller with Bluma Jacobson, widow of Harry S. Truman’s friend and business partner Eddie Jacobson. Sound only.

35mm/7 minutes 19 seconds
Description:

Rufus Burrus, lawyer and friend of Harry S. Truman, speaks about their relationship. Sound only.