Evening star., 1952-03-18
Mr.. Trun,on,s Self-Portroit

The politico-literary event Of the year Is the
publication today Of William Hillmans Mr.
President" Replete with handsome illustrations
including numerous pictures of Harry s. Tru-
man, 1t is an extraordinary book whose discursive
but highly readable contents can be counted
upon to make the welkin ring with fresh con-
troversy and with stepped-up speculation over
whether or not Mr.. Truman is going to run again
AS for controversy, a sample of it Is the reac-
ton OF Governor ByrneS of South Carolina The
book, which Is made up principally Of excerpts
from the Presidents diaries. correspondence,
notes and private papers, quotes criticizing
memorandum which Mr.. Truman says he read to
Mr. Byrnes-then the Secretary of State-on
January S. 1946. after the latters return from the
Moscow Conference But Mr.. Byrnes has fatty
declared that no such reading ever took place
and that he would have resigned forthwith if
it had. Similarly, Henry A. Wallace has responded
Indignantly to an item referring to certain
person called "X," and more of the same
can be expected from other quarters.
Taken as a whole, moreover. the book is
bound to be assailed as campaign document and
an exercise in sef-glorifcation. Actually besides
having historical value, much of it, as set forth
in the Presidents own words-which at times add
up to very fine prose-may be regarded as
pleasing. instructive and reasonably modest auto
biographical writing. Yet because it tends to
depict Mr.. Truman-with lots and lots of pictures
--as humble but strong and never-wrong
champion of righteous causes it quite obviously is
vulnerable to attack. Thus in addition to being
criticized for breaking white House precedent in
releasing his private papers while still in Office,
the man who emerges from these pages can
hardly escape being castigated by his foes as an
"egotist" intent upon making political capital in
an election year by painting himself and his
administration in the most glowing colors.
Mr.. Truman, for his own part, is at pains in
the book to disavow any political intent and to
emphasize that he has released his papers solely
and simply because II want the people to know
the Presidency as have experienced it and
want them to know me as am" Elsewhere he
refers to the kept" press and to radio commenta
tors bought and paid for" the implication being
that only through just such measures as his
cooperation with Mr.. Hillman can his true story
be told. At this point leaving aside that old and
recurrent controversy, an interesting question
to be asked is why he has felt impelled to resort
to that kind Of cooperation right now-as July
and November come nearer and nearer. Does he
wish to have Americans know him as he truly
is because he plans to run again? Or does this
literary effort pave the way for his farewell to
Office?
uc 11U1utdu UOOh leaves Tile QUcStlUu up LII
the air. At one point, however, it quotes Mr.
Truman as declaring to an unnamed correspond
ent: II don't know what my situation will be in
April 1882 but you might write me letter two or
tEIee weeks ahead of the date and l can then
come nearer to giving you definite answer" This
may mean much or little, but political soothsay
ers may find it significant when linked with this
additional item among the Presidents papers:
the administration of public affairs has, like
other things, proper term. and statesmen as
well as wrestlers will break doWn. when strength
and youth fail Better !. had it been for Cicero,
after Catiline's conspiracy, to have retired and
grown old, and for Scipio, after his Numantine
and Carthaginian conquests, to have sat down
contented"
This quotation, which Mr.. Hillman found in
Mr.. Truman's own handwriting, is from Plu-
tarch's Life of Lucullus. Only the man who jotted
it down can say whether it has any significance
in terms of the November elections and he is
not saying right now. Until he speaks out, one
way or the other. the guessing game and the
controversy about him will merely be intensified
by his lively self-portrait in "Mr. President"