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

Motion Picture MP2002-459 and MP2002-460

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

Administrative Information

Original Format(s)
Motion Picture
Footage
495 feet
Running Time
5 minutes 27 seconds
Film Gauge
35mm
Sound
intermittent
Color
Black & White
Produced by
Screen Gems in association with Ben Gradus
Restrictions
Unrestricted
Received
From the estate of Harry S. Truman
Keywords
Inflation (Finance)
Description

Harry S. Truman speaks about his views on lobbyists and inflation. He also discusses a humorous and fictional "Kitchen Cabinet" memo he wrote one day. Film with sound.

Date(s)
ca.
1961 - 1963

SD-quality copies of already digitized motion pictures are available for $20, and HD-quality copies of already digitized motion pictures are $50. Copies of motion pictures not already digitized will incur additional costs.

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

Reel 1

This film and soundtrack are spliced together, with MP2002-459 being a very short film clip and MP2002-460 being a separate soundtrack.

0:00   Silent footage of Harry S. Truman seated at a desk, speaking.
1:28   Off screen voice speaks, Mr. Truman continues talking in silent footage.
2:26   Mr. Truman speaks about the President being the lobbyist for all the American people. When he goes back on them, then they catch it from the employers of the other lobbyists that can afford to go to Washington.
3:12   Off screen voice says "cut."
    There is soundtrack but no picture at this point. Mr. Truman says he was sick and couldn't sleep, so he wrote a memorandum. He read his musings about how he appointed a "kitchen cabinet." He wants to appoint:
    A Secretary for Inflation, to convince people no matter how high prices go and how low wages go, there is no danger to things temporal or eternal. "He will take a load off my mind if Congress does not."
3:53   A Secretary for Reaction. He will abolish flying machines and restore oxcarts and oar boats. He will put the atom back together so it can't be taken apart. "What a load off my mind that will be for me, Vishinsky, and all the other Russians."
4:57   A Secretary for Columnists, to listen to all the radio commentators, read all the commentators, and "give me results so I can run the U. S. as it should be." In a week or two this Secretary will need the services of a psychologist.
5:03   A Secretary of Semantics. He is to furnish $10 words; how to say yes and no in the same sentence; find a combination of words to say I'm against inflation in San Francisco, and for it in New York; how to be silent and say everything. "He can save me an immense amount of worry." Then Mr. Truman says "Now this is a satire and intended to be just that." However, there are people in the United States who are like these kitchen cabinet members, but most of the time they don't know what they are doing.
    Off screen voice says "cut."