Eben A. Ayers Oral History Interviews

Oral History Interviews with
Eben A. Ayers

Seventeen year veteran with the Associated Press. Later news editor and acting managing editor of the Providence (Rhode Island) Journal-Bulletin, after which he served in the White House as liaison for the press-radio division of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. In January, 1945, he became part of the White House staff as a press officer until he retired at the end of the Truman administration.

See also Eben A. Ayers Papers and Files finding aids.

NOTICE
These are transcripts of tape-recorded interviews conducted for the Harry S. Truman Library. A draft of each transcript was edited by the interviewee but only minor emendations were made; therefore, the reader should remember that these are essentially transcripts of the spoken, rather than the written word.

Numbers appearing in square brackets (ex. [45]) within the transcript indicate the pagination in the original, hardcopy version of the oral history interview. .

The finding aid for the Eben A. Ayers Papers is also available for viewing through the Library web site.

RESTRICTIONS
These oral history transcripts may be read, quoted from, cited, and reproduced for purposes of research. They may not be published in full except by permission of the Harry S. Truman Library.

A
Acheson, Dean, 252, 255-256, 259-260, 298-299, 301, 303-306
Adams, Sherman, 366-367
Agnew, Spiro, 385
Allen, George, 77, 105-106, 108, 232-234, 346, 353-357
Anderson, Howard S., 53, 298-299
Andrews, Russell, 344
Arvey, Jake, 124, 127, 146
Atlee, Clement, 84, 183, 266-267
Atomic bomb, 42-54, 58-59, 218-220, 395
Augusta, U.S.S. 42, 52
Austin, Warren, 269
Ayers, Eben, 1-9, 176-178, 209, 292, 295, 312, 349-351, 372-376, 390-394

accreditation of reporters, 62-66
Truman research activities, 87-88, 209-218, 255
White House correspondence, 60-62, 180-182

B
Barkley, Alben W., 122-123, 161-162, 171, 207, 223, 290, 382
Barnes, James M., 315, 320
Bell, David, 120, 228, 343-344
Bevin, Ernest, 56, 260
Bidault, Georges, 261
Biffle, Leslie, 122, 161-162
Blair House, 285, 303-304, 307, 363, 380
Blake, Tom, 60-61
Boettiger, Anna Roosevelt, 28
Boyle, William, 147-149
Bradley, Omar, 303
Bray, Bill, 159-160, 170, 344
Brewster, R. Owen, 266
Byrd, Robert, 384
Byrnes, James F., 9, 43, 48, 51-52, 55, 74, 98, 182, 188-190, 192-199, 201-202, 212, 218

C
Canfil, Fred, 33
Carter, J. Franklin, 145, 226, 243, 318
Carr, Albert, 143-145, 237-239, 242
Churchill, Winston, 56, 263-264
Clark, Bennett, 201
Clark, Charles Patrick, 33
Clark, Tom, 53, 200
Clifford, Clark, 40, 106-108, 126, 129, 165, 175, 226, 228, 239, 253, 267-270, 317-320, 324-327, 329-332,

346-348

Collett, Caskie, 234-235
Collins, J. Lawton, 303
Connelly, Matthew, 13-14, 30-31, 40, 53, 57, 75-76, 113-114, 126, 129, 134, 146-147, 149, 171, 182, 206-208,

239, 253, 275, 313, 317, 334-335, 346, 348, 351, 376

Conway, Rose, 59, 83, 295, 302, 351
Coolidge, Calvin, 125
Cornell, Douglas 152
Cox, James, 9, 15-16
Crane, John M. C. , 111
Crim, Howard G., 212, 369
Crowley, Leo, 53
Currie, Laughlin, 320
Cushing, Archbishop Richard J., 146-150

D
D'Alesandro, Thomas, 296
Daly, John, 371
Daniels, Jonathan, 7, 13-15, 18, 24, 26-28, 34, 130, 135-137, 159, 160-161, 180, 293-294, 312, 315-316, 337,

347-348, 356

Davis, Elmer, 371
Davis, Henry Gassaway, 122
Dawson, Donald, 40, 108, 113, 115, 138-139, 159, 206, 235, 237, 275, 341, 348
DeGaulle, Charles, 263-264
Democratic National Convention – 1944, 190-191, 199-202
Democratic National Convention - 1948, 121-127
Democratic National Convention - 1952, 220-224
Dennison, Robert 40, 113-115, 161, 166, 168, 170, 172-173, 175, 244-245, 295, 297
Dewey, Thomas, 124, 130, 140, 227
Donnelly, Phil M., 112
Douglas, William O. 122-123
Drescher, George C. 31-32
Dulles, John Foster, 140

E
Early, Stephen, 6-8, 15, 18-28, 60-61, 84, 98, 180, 199-200, 203-206, 216, 284-286, 292, 312, 336-338,

347-348, 397

Economic Cooperation Administration, 260
Eisenhower, Dwight D.: 6, 106, 114-115, 124, 221, 351, 356-357, 363, 366-370, 379-380, 389

election of 1952, 221, 351-352, 380-381

Elkins, Stephen, 122
Elsey, George, 107, 146, 228, 236, 279, 283, 317, 326-329, 342, 356
Enarson, Harold, 170, 345
Ernst, Morris 204
Ewing, Oscar, 356

F
Farley, Jim, 200
Flynn, Edward J., 124, 200
Flythe, William, 153-154
Feinberg, Abraham, 272
Finletter, Tom, 284, 303
Foreign Policy – Truman Administration, 250-265

Israel, 265-272
Marshall Plan , 252, 255, 260, 262
Point 4 program, 236, 254-263
Truman Doctrine, (Greek-Turkish aid program), 251, 258-260, 374, 394
Twenty-one points message, 251, 322-323

Forrestal, Adm., 53, 280
Forster, Rudolph, 310
Foskett, James H., 200, 206, 244-249, 250-255, 345
Fox, Joseph, 47, 154
Franklin, 237
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Navy carrier, 17, 256
Fritchey, Clayton, 344
Fuchs, Klaus, 58
Fulton, Hugh, 33-34

G
Gannett, Frank, 205
Gillette, Senator, 266-267
Graham, Philip, 181-182
Graham, Wallace, 113-115, 170, 175, 179, 191, 206, 295, 346

H
Hachmeister, Louise L., 367
Hagerty, James C., 367, 388-389
Hague, Frank, 115, 124, 127
Halverstadt, Dallas C., 345
Hannegan, Robert, 190, 200-201, 273, 359-360
Hardy, Ben, 236-237
Harriman, Averell, 221, 327, 382
Hassett, William , 42-45, 53, 60, 165, 167, 170-171, 178-180, 312, 336-339, 346-348, 376
Helm, Mrs. [James M.], 245
Henry, Bill, 371
Hickerson, John, 303
Hill, Lister, 125
Hillenkoetter, Roscoe H., 305
Hillman, William, 189, 371
Hopkins, William, 309-310
Howe, John, 195
Hume, Paul, 181-184
Humphrey, Hubert, 382

I
Independence, The, 113, 295
Israel, State of, 265-270, 319-320

J
Jackson, Charles W., 170, 345
Jacobson, Eddie, 88, 271, 320
Jamieson, Frank, 6
Jessup, Philip, 303
Johnson, Louis, 72-73, 188, 232, 278-286, 303-305
Jones, Joseph M., 256

K
Kaltenborn, H.V., 371-372
Kayle, Milton, 345
Keech, Richmond, 206, 234, 341
Kefauver, Estes, 224, 382
Kelly, Ed, 200
Kerr, Robert, 382
Key West: 157-177
Kilgore, Harley 201
Korea, 281-282, 295-307
Krock, Arthur, 91-96, 387-388
Krug, Julius, 130-131

L
Landry, Robert B., 40, 113, 115, 170, 175, 244, 246, 295, 297, 301
Lane, William Preston, 296
Latta, Maurice, 74-75, 200, 309-310, 312, 348
Lawton, Fred, 341-342
Leahy, William, 43, 48, 52, 57, 70, 113-115, 163, 172, 206, 220, 267, 312, 345, 346
Lewis, John L., 56
Lindley, Ernest K., 371
Lloyd, David, 120, 228, 343-344, 361
Locke, Edwin, 206, 235
Long, Dewey, 31, 104
Lovett, Robert , 129-130, 132-133, 138-140, 142, 269
Luckman, Charles, 144-145, 237

M
MacArthur, Douglas, 286-287, 328, 380
MacDonald, Commander, 171
Magnuson, Senator, 266
Maragon, John, 14, 31
Marshall, George C., 96, 138, 141, 143, 170, 188, 198, 243, 255, 256, 260, 269-270, 281-282, 285- 286

Harvard Speech, led to Marshall Plan, 96, 252-263

Matthews, Francis, 283, 303
McCarthy, Joseph, 360-362
McCormack, John W., 282, 290
McGrath, J. Howard, 101, 122, 356
McIntire, Ross T., 25-27, 292
McIntyre, Marvin, 337
McKim, Edward, 11, 29-30, 109, 313-315
McReynolds, William, 314-315
Molotov, Vyacheslav, 55-56, 211
Morgenthau, Henry, 376
Morison, Sam Elliot, 327
Morse, Wayne, 384
Murphy, Charles S., 40, 107, 119, 151, 170, 226-228, 317-319,, 326, 329, 330-332, 343-344

N
Nash, Phileo, 41, 107, 152, 170, 230-231, 321-322, 361
Niles, David, 40-41, 206, 231, 270-271, 320-322
Nixon, Richard – “crook”, 384
Noyes, David, 143-145, 237-239, 242

O
O'Dwyer, Mayor, 124
Oliver, Harry, 153

P
Pace, Frank, 303
Patterson, Richard, Jr., 138-139
Pawley, William D., 170
Pearson, Drew, 184-186, 241
Pendergast, Tom, 391-393
Perlmeter, Irving, 85-86
Poker, 30, 164, 173-176
Porter, Paul, 195
Potomac Fever, 280, 327, 375-376
Potsdam Conference, 33, 42, 47-48, 52-58, 211

Report to White House staff, 53-58

Speechwriting - 107, 116-120, 151, 226-239
“Whistlestop” crowds, 153

Preston, William, 296

Q
Quick, Spencer, 345

R
Rayburn, Sam, 290
Redding, Jack, 136, 247, 356
Reilly, Michael F., 31-33, 264
Reinsch, J. Leonard, 9-17, 313
Reynolds, Ed, 234, 354
Richey, William, 109
Rigdon, William, 159, 164-165, 167, 171, 175, 221, 246
Rockefeller, Nelson, 6
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 8, 26, 292
Roosevelt, Franklin D.: 6-7, 9-11, 15, 18, 23, 60-61, 78, 93, 190, 200, 263-264, 292-294, 304, 312, 337, 353,

385 illness and death of, 9-10, 24-28, 292-294
press, 20-23, 27, 78, 93
speechwriting, 118-119, 230
and VP Truman, 18, 287-294

Roosevelt, Jimmy, 125
Roosevelt, Theodore, 125
Rosenberg, Anna, 24
Rosenman, Samuel, 108, 118, 126, 229, 252-253, 312, 322-325, 346-347, 355, 376
Ross, Charles, 17, 19-23, 30, 34-38, 43, 59-62, 67, 76, 83-84, 89-91, 93, 103-104, 106, 120, 122, 126,

128-129, 135-136, 140-142, 146, 148-150, 158-159, 166-170, 180, 183, 185, 188, 193-197, 200, 207, 224-225, 227, 230, 242, 247, 253, 263, 266-279, 283-286, 292, 295, 305, 346, 348, 350, 355-356,
364-365, 376, 388

Rowley, James J., 33, 166
Rusk, Dean, 303
Russell, Senator, 382

S
Sacred Cow, The, 140
Saltonstall, Leverett, 384
Schoeneman, George, 206, 234-235, 340
Schwellenback, 53
Secret Service White House detail, 31-33, 63, 66
Security controversy at Key West, 166-169
Sevareid, Eric, 371
Shaw, Robert, 371
Sherman, Forrest, 303
Sherwood, Robert, 118, 230, 323
Shoop, Duke, 81
Short, Joseph, 83-84, 85-87
Smathers, George 170, 378
Smith, Carlton, 194
Smith, Merriman, 297
Smith, Walter Bedell, 131-135
Snyder, John, 11, 51, 253, 346
Soviet Union, 261
Sparkman, John, 125, 223
Special session of 80th congress, 123-125
Speechwriting, 107, 116-120, 151, 227-230, 318, 325-326, 330-331, 343-344
Springarn, Stephen J., 110, 342-343
Stalin, Joseph, 54-58, 70, 141, 211
Steffan, Roger, 367-368
Steelman, John, 38-40, 140, 165, 170, 172, 175, 235, 239, 253, 332-334, 342, 344-345, 348
Stevenson, Adlai, 221, 223-224, 234, 352, 382
Stettinius, Edward R., Jr., 25, 26, 61
Stimson, Henry, 48-50, 52
Stowe, David, 40, 342, 348
Sullivan, Gael, 101
Surles, Alexander, 43-45
Symington, Stuart, 346

T
Taft, Robert, 207, 221, 351, 381
Taylor, Myron, 338-339
Television broadcast from White House, 69
Thomas, Lowell, 371
Trohan, Walter, 143-144
Truman Committee, 31, 33, 49-50
Truman, Harry S., 7-8, 11-12, 19

Books and reading interests, 364-365
Civil rights, 358-359
Congress vs. Presidential powers, 376
Decision to not run in 1952, 222-223. 274-276, 350, 380
Definitions of "democracy" and "republic", 372
Domestic policy, 251, 254
Foreign policy development, 250-251, 255, 257-269, 373-375
Letter to Paul Hume, music critic, 181-184
Potsdam conference reports to White House staff, 53-58
Presiding Judge, 390-393
Press conferences, 11-12, 80-82
(and) Roosevelt, Franklin D., 17, 287-294, 295
Vice-Presidential nomination, 200-202

Truman, Mrs. Harry S., (Bess), 54, 112, 126, 150, 161-162, 171-172, 185, 245, 275, 291, 302, 346, 367,

380-381

Truman, Margaret, 112, 126, 150, 161, 163-164, 171-172, 183, 185, 213, 284, 301-302, 380-381
Truman, Vivian, 299
Tubby, Roger, 85-86
Tully, Grace, 10-11, 83
“Turnip—Day” session of Congress in 1948, 121-125
Tyler, John, 125

U
United Nations Conference, San Francisco, 34, 56, 211

V
Vaccaro, Tony, 72-73, 81, 92, 114, 282, 386-387
Vandenberg, Hoyt, 303
Vardaman, James, 244-246, 325, 345-346
Vaughn, Harry, 14, 31, 40, 113, 125, 161, 174-175, 200, 239-242, 246, 295, 301, 313, 345-346, 387

W
Vinson, Chief Justice Fred, 53, 130-133, 140-144, 170, 223, 242, 253, 376-379

Moscow mission, 130, 140-144, 242

Wake Island trip, 286-287, 328-329
Wallace, Henry A., 101, 198, 202-207, 290, 376

Campaign of 1948, 127-128, 205-207
“Mystic letters” controversy, 203-205
Resignation as Secretary of Commerce, 202-206

Watson, Edwin M., 7, 312, 337
Webb, James E., 303
White House correspondence, 60-62, 180-181
White House press office procedures, 82-83, 98-99
White House reporters, accreditation of, 62-67
White House staff, 16, 308, 310-313, 376
Williamsburg, The, 161, 171, 177, 192, 206, 235, 364
Winegar, Alice, 178
Woodward, Stanley, 126, 170

X-Y-Z
Zimmerman, Raymond R., 340-341