Motion Picture MP2002-85
Administrative Information
Harry S. Truman discusses the location of the Grandview Farm; why he labeled the 80th Congress the “do-nothing” Congress; why he is against the 22nd amendment to the Constitution limiting the President to two terms; and the dedication of the Grand Coulee Dam. Sound only.
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Shot List
Reel 1
| 0:00 | Sound begins with Harry S. Truman describing the location of the Grandview Farm on Old Grandview Road. The rest of the soundtrack consists of rapid questions from Merle Miller, to which Mr. Truman responds in some detail. | |
| 0:47 | Mr. Truman describes why he called Congress in 1948 the “do-nothing” Congress. He took a chance in calling them back into session after the convention in 1948, because if they had passed one item on their program, he would have looked bad. However, they did nothing again, so he could run against the “do-nothing” Congress. | |
| 1:42 | He called them back to session on July 26, called “turnip day” in Missouri; it was when people were supposed to plant their turnips. It was a handy time to have them back in session. | |
| 2:10 | Mr. Truman decided to run for a second term the day he became President, April 12, 1945. He had to make good on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s term to deserve a second term. | |
| 2:55 | Mr. Truman emphatically states he is against the 22nd amendment to the Constitution (limiting the President to two terms) because it ties the hand of the President. The Republicans passed it to make Roosevelt look bad, but they made a lame duck out of their own man (Eisenhower). | |
| 3:35 | Mr. Truman felt his first term was dedicated to carrying out the program of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but the second term was his own. He mentions the January, 1949 State of the Union address, which spells out his program. | |
| 4:09 | (clock chimes) | |
| 4:26 | Mr. Truman discusses his 1948 “non-political tours.” He mentions Butte, Montana was the place he first used the term “do-nothing Congress.” | |
| 5:01 | Mr. Truman discusses the incident in Omaha, Nebraska where the stadium was only half-filled (famous photograph in Life Magazine). He explained how that happened. | |
| 5:35 | Mr. Truman can’t remember if there was a convention of the 35th Division in Omaha at that time. | |
| 5:42 | When asked about the dedication of Grand Coulee Dam, Mr. Truman says he never dedicated the dam itself, he believe it was dedicated by President Roosevelt. Mr. Truman dedicated the turbines. | |
| 6:24 | Mr. Truman only accidentally mentioned politics in these dedications. | |
| 6:50 | Mr. Truman explains how he felt about being considered unelectable in 1948. | |
| 7:15 | When asked how he decided which towns the whistlestop train went through, Mr. Truman says he did not select towns, he stopped where the train stopped. He thought It was a good method of campaigning for those days; he hasn’t had experience in campaigning in over 10 years. It was a good way to reach people in 1948. | |
| 8:22 | Mr. Truman didn’t feel strongly about Democrats who did not believe he could be elected in 1948; he never held it against them. “Of course, the old man never forgets.” |