The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-06-03
CAPITAL
CAROLINA
By DAVID BRINKLEY
Star-News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON June Zone of the weeks
most amusing stories told of Mrs. Harry Tru-
man. the first lady, christening new Navy
bomber. She banged bottle of champagne
across the planes metal nose IL or 10 times.
but it wouldn't break. Finally, Navy Of
ficer helped her out by smashing it with
hammer And, of course it splattered all over
her and all over him.
That was one of Mrs. Truman's first pub
lie appearances since she became first lady
of the land and it could have been embar-
RAISING But it wasn't. She laughed it off and
said something or other about having good
tennis arm, which was pretty typical of Mrs
Truman because those in Washington who
know her have found she can always find
graceful way out of tight spot.
| When Mr. Truman moved into the White
House. he was fairly well-known But nobody
knew much about his wife, the new first
lady She'd always avoided publicity there
wasn't a complete biography of her to be
found and she turned thumbs down on the
press conferences Mrs. Roosevelt used to have
with the women reporters. The only public
statement she issued was that she intended
to stay in the background and would not
write a newspaper column. And that seemed
to be that
But little spadework here and in her Mis-
souri, home town has tuned up some interest
ing little-known facts. For example, one of
her old school mates says during the teen
AGES Ress Wallace was the only girl in school
who could whistle through her teeth. 'But that
tomboyishness didn't last One evening Har-
nv Truman, whose relatives lived across the
street. came over to return a cake plate. He
stayed awhile to talk. Five years later, after
young @Hgrry had been to war and back, they
were married
| Ever since then, she's been his closest ad-
wiser. She Used to help him out with that
ill-fated haberdashery business about which
everyone's heard so much And she's figured
in every decision he's ever made.
In Washington the Trumans have always
gone in for lot of social life. While he was
a senator and later vice-president, they used
to go out somewhere nearly every night
There was even a story once that President
Roosevelt had asked his vice president to cut
out some of the night life, 1t wasn't dong
his political career any good
Through it all and even now, Mrs. Bess
Truman has kept the modesty and simple
plainness she had when they came here from
Missouri. In the White House they've avoid
ed parties and lavish entertainment. One Of
their closest friends has been Arthur Smith,
operator of a moving firm who frequently
cautions local radio listeners: Don't make
move without calling Smiths And one story
Blair House across the street to the White
House, he was just little disappointed that
they didn't call him.
Once in the White House, Mrs. Truman
started running quiet and simple house
hold as is possible for the nations first fam
lily. She found she had more servants than
they needed, 80 she let about third of them
go their way. Now that they have to spend
more time at home, the Humans favorite
amusement is the same as that Of thousands
OF other American families listening to music.
They play the photograph they brought from
Missouri and many of their records are of
classics just bit on the lighter side. The
president himself plays pretty fair piano
while their daughter, Margaret, sings. Mrs.
Truman just listens. In all, they're probably
the least pretentious family we've had in the
White House for a long time But at the
same time they're most like the so-called
average family. So, if the Trumans are un-
reetentious, so is most Of America.