Evening star., 1945-11-25

aide, once was a crack center on the
Westminster College football team at
Fulton. Missouri. At that time he
tipped the scales at 1876 pounds. So
expert was he at blocking the rushes
Of the opposition with his rockwall
bulk that he was selected for the all
star State eleven two straight years.
Today, as a member OF the inner
White House circle and close per.
sonal friends of the President, his fell
low Missourian, big strapping unin-
hibited Harry Vaughan is still throw
ing his weight around. Because the
White House is not a gridiron, and
because Vaughan has remained as
blunt spoken, fortnight and direct
actioned as he was in his college days,
he sometimes achieves the results of
the proverbial bull in china shop. But
since the shopkeeper is his pal, the
periodic rampages get by with a wink
and a smile
For Harry Truman knows that
Vaughan is utterly irresponsible, but
he also knows that he is deeply, un-
swervingly loyal. He knows that
Vaughan is untactful but warm hearted,
indiscreet but good intentioned, rough
hewn like his Scotch Welsh forbears
but "solid"-in the best slang meaning.
And the President wouldn't trade him
for all the tactful, stiff -mannered, close
mouthed military aides in the world.
Speech Proves Embarrassing.
Take, for example, that speech Gen.
Vaughan made before the Womens
Auxiliary of the Alexandria (Va) West
minister Presbyterian Church, of which
he is an elder. With naive trustfulness,
Vaughan trusted there were no re-
porters present. He let go, using the
lusty CAB. the vivid expressions, for
which he is noted among his acquaint-
ances. The next day he read with
embarrassment that he had said, in
part:
Contrasting Truman with Franklin
d. ROOSEVELT: TITS just like having a
fancy dinner of caviar over long period.
But sometimes you like to get back to
ham and eggs"
(About the Potsdam Conference): 1--WE
were delayed the first day. The story
was that Churchill was a day late at
Yalta and Stain had to get even and
be a day late at Potsdam. If a
meter had been kept on the number of
words, think it would have been like
this: British, 6; Russians 2; Americans,
!. Churchill is q garrulous old gentle
man and he would never say anything
in less than 20 words where 10 would
do.
Vaughan says he said other things
about Churchill, nice things, which
weren't quoted in all the press accounts.
Actually. he is so fond of the ex-Prime
Minister that he recently wrote him
asking for signed photograph.
President Only Grinned.
When q national magazine published
its version Of the speech, Vaughan
groaned anew and took the article to
the President. II he had done some
thing wrong, he wanted to be the first
to let the Chief know about it, The
President read it through, grinned, and
have anything much to write about. with
the war over. He said he'd give them
something to write about all right-and
forthwith made public the voluminous
Pearl Harbor reports.
Following the publicity on this speech,
Vaughan received q letter from the
editor of the American Mercury saying
he detected literary bent in the lusty
Missourian and asking him to write an
article on any controversial sub
ject. Harry replied that the only nom
controversial subject he knew of was
Motherhood" and did the magazine
want an article on that.
II Vaughan now gets in hot water
once in awhile while serving under
Truman, he can recall with a measure
of satisfaction that Truman was get
ting roundly bawled out the first time
Vaughan ever set eyes on him. That
was back in the early World War days,
at Fort Sill, Okla, then . National
Guard camp. Truman was q first lieu
tenant in the 129th Field Artillery
Vaughan q second louie in the 128th.
One day, at onhcers' call, Vaughan
came in late, laughing and generally
boisterous. He stopped short. There,
before the rigidly attentive officers,
stood red-faced Harry Truman, being
handsomely dressed down by the COM
manding officer for the way he was
running the 129th's canteen, which he
had organized. Vaughan felt sorry for
the man, but the next moment the
c. O., = Gen. Berry, swung around
to Vaughan and gave him his undi-
vided attention for coming in late and
being noisy. From that day on, the
two Harry's felt q kindred interest
in each other.