The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-03-18
TlUice He Feared
World Var iii
Vas On VergeOf
Breaking Out
By ed cREACH.


turned him into "a two-headet
calf"-a freak in the eyes of tht
American people.
Mr.. Truman believes there i.
no indispensable man in a democ
racy."
But is he willing to turn over
to somebody else the job. he re
CARDS as the hardest in the world?
The President doesn't say, al
though he makes this comment or
politicians in general--and he i.
proud to call himself politician
"They never get out until the,
die or are kicked out.
A big SIS book full of these ane
thousands Of other "unrehearset
private thoughts of the 32nd Pres
ident went on sale today. The title:
"Mr. President. y
William Hillman, Mutual Broad
casting System commentator, Is
listed as.the author. But some S..
600 Of the $4,000 words are those
OF Harry Truman himself, They
are from his leather bound diaries
his private memoranda, his cor
respondence, his sometimes start.
ingly frank conversations. 't''.
This unprecedented--if uncritical
look into the mind and activities
of a President still in the White
House discloses among ether
things that:
Twice, at least, since he took
office, Mr.. Truman has feared
World War III was on the verge Of
breaking out.
AS early as January, 1916, Mr..
Truman declared he was tired of
"babying the Soviets ''--saying so
in scorching memo that raped
the knuckles Of James F. Byrnes,
then secretary of state, for keeping
him in the dark on foreign policy
developments.
(ByrneS, now governor OF South
Carolina, issued statement call
ing this incident absolutely UNI
true.")
He welcomed the nomination of
Thomas +. Dewey for President
by the Republicans In 1913 because
he felt Dewey had nothing to offer
the voters except "warmed-over"
platform.
And he viewed one Of his own
Cabinet members-Henry A. Wal
lace whom he fired--as dream
err more dangerous to the country
than the old German-American
Bund.
wallace said at his home in
South Salem, N. Y. that il the
President ever admits this is a
reference to him II shall charge
him with the same deliberate char
acter assassination which he finds
SO despicable In others
(The name Of the person men,
toned by Truman is BACKED out In
the text and Mr.. X" is substitute
ed. The context clearly indicates,
however, that Wallace is the man
referred to. Asked specifically by
a reporter if mr.. X" was Wal
lace, the President replied mo
comment.
This 253-page book, q best-seller
even on the basis of re-publica-
ton orders. adds up 10 cam.
paign document that the Demo
Gratis can use whether Mr.. Tru.
man seeks reelection or not. 90
For all its wealth Of personal
information about Mr.. Truman. be.
fore and after he went into poll
tics at the behest CT the Fender.
CAST organization in Kansas City,
ii Is significant for what II leaves
out as well as for what IL con-
tains.
Among the noteworthy omis.
sions:
There are only fleeing and non.
committal references to Gen.
Dwight d. Eisenhower.
After World War II, MIR. Truman
praised Eisenhower to the skies
and promised to help him get any.
thing he Notwithstanding the
presidency in 1913.
Now. In 1862, Eisenhower is in
the running for the Republican
presidential nomination although
not personally an active candidate
And MIR. Truman, in the new
book, does not mention Eisenhower
on his list Of the greatest gen.
erals while saying Gen. Omar N.
Bradley, chairman OF the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, tops them all. .
Similarly, Mr.. Truman has moth.
ing significant to say about Eisen.
hower's chief rival for this wears
COP nomination. Sem Robert A.
Taft of Ohio.
Mr.. Truman makes no bones of
the fact that he was sponsored in
politics by the Pendergast organ.
ization.
but ne says the Kansas City ma.
chine never influenced him as a
public official.
There is nothing | detest So
much as n crooked noIifician mr.
corrupt government official" he
says. And he adds. speaking OF
the corruption charges made
against his own administration: