Lot 330

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Description:

Great Harry S. Truman 6 Items as Senator and Ex-President

HARRY S. TRUMAN, Archive of six letters, 1940-1965. 10 pp.

This intriguing collection of letters from Senator and ex-President Harry S. Truman display his sense of humor, lifelong friendships, and commitment to the Democratic Party. Ex. The Forbes Collection.

Highlights and Excerpts:

- Harry S. Truman, Typed Letter Signed, to Edward D. McKim, September 27, 1940; on United States Senate letterhead.
"I had a very lucky break, having been assigned as one of the Senators to attend the funeral of the Speaker. He died at an opportune moment for me. As you know, we always have a grand time on these State funeral parties. There was a special train, with twenty four Senators and sixty members of the House, and they sent me back to Washington by way of Memphis, Kansas City, and St. Louis."
"I am so deep in correspondence which piled up while I was gone that I cannot tell you everything I want to, so I will write you again in a day or two."
Edward D. McKim (1895-1969) was Executive Vice President of an insurance company in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1940. McKim had served under Capt. Harry S. Truman in the field artillery from 1917 to 1919 and subsequently in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps. He was a close personal friend of Truman and served as Chief Administrative Assistant to President Truman in 1945 and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company from 1950 to 1953.
U.S. Speaker of the House William B. Bankhead of Alabama died on September 15, 1940. After a funeral in the U.S. Capitol on September 16, Bankhead was interred in Jasper, Alabama, on September 17.

- Harry S. Truman, Typed Letter Signed, to Donald C. Cubbison, September 21, 1942; on United States Senate letterhead.
"It was a pleasure to meet you on Tuesday and discuss the problems of the Training Center as it affects the Field Artillery in the Army. As you know, I am rather an enthusiastic Artilleryman myself, and I appreciated the opportunity to talk with you, and the benefit of your experience in this present emergency."
Donald C. Cubbison (1882-1968) was a Major General in the U.S. Army. He commanded the 1st Infantry Division from January 1941 to May 1942, then the Replacement Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 1942 until his retirement in 1946, for which service he received the Legion of Merit.

- Mollie (Mrs. Frank) Monroe, Autograph Letter Signed, to Harry S. Truman, ca. 1946-1947 (final page only); Autograph Endorsement Initialed by Truman.
"…President is re-elected in ’48, and he will be. Peace has come to the world and my son is an Admiral. Everything will be perfect. Thanks and best o’ luck. Sincerely Mollie"
Truman's endorsement on verso: "Tell her I can’t do it. / HST"
Mollie Hansberger Monroe (1878-1963) was born in Missouri and married Judge Frank Monroe (1873-1959). Their son Frank Monroe (1899-1961) was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1923 and rose through various commands to become a Rear Admiral before his retirement in 1953.

- Harry S. Truman, Typed Letter Signed, to James M. Mosier, August 17, 1960; on Harry S. Truman letterhead. With envelope including printed franking signature.
"I am not in a position at the present time to make a firm commitment as you suggest because I do not know as yet just what the National Democratic Committee will want me to do. I regret this is the case but maybe something can be worked out so that we can get together."
James M. Mosier (1925-2007) served as Putnam County Judge in Cookeville, Tennessee, from 1958 to 1966. He was City Manager of Johnson City, Tennessee, from 1966 to 1970 and also owned and managed several restaurants in northeastern Tennessee.
In 1960, Truman initially supported U.S. Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri, believing that John F. Kennedy was too young and inexperienced to be president. After Kennedy's nomination in July, Truman campaigned for Kennedy, though he loathed Kennedy’s father.

- Harry S. Truman, printed leaf from his autobiography Mr. Citizen (1960), including a cartoon of two boys walking down the sidewalk, when one says, "O.K., so you grow up to be President, and you even get re-elected, that's still only eight years. What do you do with the rest of your life?" Enjoying the cartoon, Truman added the comment, "God only knows!!! / HST" (printed).

- Harry S. Truman, Typed Letter Signed, to Earl H. Shackelford, December 21, 1962; on Harry S. Truman letterhead. With carbon copy of Earl H. Shackelford, Typed Letter, to Harry S. Truman, December 3, 1962.
Shackelford to Truman: "I don't know when I enjoyed a television show as much as I did the past two Thursday evenings when KOMU-TV carried the biography of Harry S. Truman. Again, as I always do, I got a big bang out of your appearance before the Press Club when you mimicked Mr. Kaltenborn."
Truman to Shackelford: "Thanks a lot for your letter of the 3d regarding the television show. I will never forget the Kaltenborn instance. We are now trying to arrange things for a TV show so that everything will be in order and everybody can understand it."
Earl H. Shackelford (1899-1985) was born in Missouri and joined the U.S. Army in 1918. During World War I, he served in the coastal artillery in Massachusetts. In 1935, he was elected as state commander of the American Legion for Missouri. He later served as the Missouri commissioner of labor and as state director for Missouri of the U.S. Savings Bond Division in the Treasury Department, from which he retired in 1965.
After NBC newscaster H. V. Kaltenborn (1878-1965) incorrectly predicted Thomas E. Dewey as the winner of the 1948 presidential election, President Truman had an opportunity for revenge when he mimicked Kaltenborn's staccato style before the Press Club.
In 1963, Screen Gems, Inc. and Independence Productions, Inc. entered into an agreement to produce 26 half-hour television films about Truman’s presidency. The series was titled Decision: The Conflicts of Harry S. Truman, and in each episode, Truman looked back on his life and presidency and described why he made the decisions he did. Broadcasts began in November 1964 and continued into 1965. In March 1965, American Cinema Editors named Truman the outstanding television personality of 1964.

- Harry S. Truman, Typed Letter Signed, to Paul Nachtman, June 9, 1965; on Harry S. Truman letterhead. With envelope including printed franking signature.
"I am glad you jumped on Doubleday and Company about the shortage of my Memoirs in apparently every bookstore. I hope they will take notice of what you said and do something about it."
Paul Nachtman (1904-1986) was an attorney in New York City. During World War II, he served as a regional director for the War Labor Board.
In 1954 and 1955, former President Truman worked with a team to compile his memoirs, which were published in two volumes: Memoirs of Harry S. Truman: Year of Decisions (1955) and Memoirs of Harry S. Truman: Years of Trial and Hope (1956), which were a commercial success.

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was born in Missouri and first won elective office in 1922, winning a judge’s seat on the Jackson County Court. After serving several terms, Truman was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1934, and in 1940 gained national attention for his chairmanship of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program, which was eventually nicknamed “The Truman Committee.” Truman continued his political rise in 1944, when he was elected Vice-President as Franklin D. Roosevelt’s running mate. After only 82 days as Vice President, Truman was thrust into the Presidency when Roosevelt died unexpectedly. His inheritance was a world at war. Germany had surrendered, but Japan refused to give up the war. Truman, in a desperate move to avoid having to invade the Japanese mainland, ordered the deployment of two atomic bombs. They were dropped on August 6 and August 9, 1945. Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945. As President, Truman waged an undeclared war on the Soviet Union, drafting the “Truman Doctrine,” which proclaimed the United States’ willingness to provide aid to countries resisting communism. The Marshall Plan sought to strengthen the European economy in the hopes that this program, too, would prevent the spread of Soviet influence. Elected President for a full term in 1948, he also brought United States troops into the Korean War (1950-1953). In addition to his cold war activities, Truman’s administration expanded the New Deal and promoted Civil Rights initiatives.

Ex. The Forbes Collection. Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), American owner-publisher of Forbes magazine, and consummate collector, amassed one of the most substantial and broad collections of such breadth and depth that it filled a half-dozen residences, and sat on three continents. Many of his manuscripts were sold in multi-million-dollar sales by Christie's in the early 2000s. The Forbes name is considered to be the apex of provenance when attached to an item like the one above. We are honored to have been chosen by the family to sell at auction the substantial balance of the collection.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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September 30, 2020 10:30 AM EDT
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