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  4. Screen Gems Collection (outtakes from the television series "Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman")

Motion Picture MP2002-446

Screen Gems Collection (outtakes from the television series "Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman")

Administrative Information

Footage
250 feet
Running Time
7 minutes 31 seconds
Film Gauge
35mm
Sound
sound
Color
Black & White
Produced by
Screen Gems in association with Ben Gradus
Restrictions
Unrestricted
Description

Harry S. Truman discusses problems he had dealing with General Douglas MacArthur. Mr. Truman also discusses Chiang Kai-shek’s “crazy notion” of attacking communist China. Sound only.

Date(s)
ca.
1961 - 1963

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This item does not circulate but reproductions may be purchased.

To request a copy of this item, please contact truman.reference@nara.gov​​​​​​​

Please note that this video belongs to a different video collection than the items available to be borrowed by teachers, from our Education Department.

Moving Image Type
Screen Gems

Shot List

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Reel 1

0:00   Unidentified voice: "Camera 8 only, deduction 65013, scene 1301, take 1."
0:17   Harry S. Truman discusses problems he had dealing with General MacArthur. In 1950, as Commander-in-Chief he had to decide whether to relieve an insubordinate general of his command. "If I tried it I stood a very real chance of being vetoed by the American people, of ruining the Democratic party by splitting it apart." Mr. Truman flubs his lines and says "Let's do that damn paragraph over again."
1:00   Harry S. Truman states it was a police action by the United Nations and not a war in Korea. He named General MacArthur to head the forces and to keep the fight from spreading beyond Korea. He had problems with Chiang Kai-shek, who had the "crazy notion" of attacking communist China.
2:12   Harry S. Truman: "Chiang Kai-shek thought he was king when he got to Formosa." Chiang had nothing to lose from all-out war, but our purpose was to keep Russia from taking one more European country. Mr. Truman states that if we invaded China, Russia might have come in, building up to World War III.
2:47   Chiang Kai-shek offered 33,000 ground troops for Korea. President Truman said that at first he liked the idea, but . . . .
    (Discussion with director)
    General MacArthur agreed and flew to Formosa himself to turn the offer down.
4:05   Harry S. Truman discusses his frustrations with MacArthur, his anger at a Life magazine article, and his decision to go meet General MacArthur when MacArthur would not come to Washington. He wanted to replace General MacArthur with General Omar Bradley. Since General MacArthur would not come home to see him, he decided to visit General MacArthur on Wake Island. The meeting with MacArthur was cordial, but soon afterward, 200,000 Chinese poured across the Yalu River, driving the U.N. forces back. "We were in real trouble then, sure enough."
    (Brief discussion with director.)