DURING THE POST-WORLD WAR II ECONOMIC FUNK, PRESIDENT TRUMAN ASKS BANKER EDWARD HOPKINSON TO JOIN AN ECONOMIC COMMITTEE

HARRY S. TRUMAN (1884-1972). Truman was the Thirty-Third President, serving in that role during the end of World War Two and in the post-war period.

TLS. 1pg. June 17, 1946. The White House, Washington. A typed letter signed “Harry S Truman” as President on official “The White House” letterhead. In the wake of World War Two, Truman wrote to investment banker Edward Hopkinson Jr. of Drexel and Company, asking him to serve on a Presidential economic committee. “Dear Mr. Hopkinson: It is of vital importance to our country and to the stabilization of the international economy, that we proceed as rapidly as possible with another of the major objectives of our reconversion program: namely, to tie in our national productive capacity with the world’s reconstruction requirements. The conduct and financing of our foreign trade should be handled by private industry with the cooperation and such assistance as is necessary from the proper Government agencies. I am asking you to serve on a committee of 12 leading industrialists and bankers to draft a report on the problem, and recommendations for handling it, to be presented to the National Advisory Council which has the duty of preparing a definite plan of procedure. I do not hesitate to ask for your time and effort because it is a service which the country and the world gravely need at this time. A list of the members of this Advisory Committee is attached and I hop you will wire me your acceptance. Sincerely yours, Harry S Truman”. A typed list of committee members is also included, as is the telegram by which Hopkinson accepted Truman’s invitation.  All three pieces are in very good condition with some toning.

AN ARCHIVE OF SIX DOCUMENTS FROM HARRY TRUMAN’S EARLY POLITICAL CARER IN JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI

HARRY TRUMAN (1884-1972). Truman was the Thirty-Third President.

1926. 6 pieces. An archive of documents relating to one of Harry Truman’s earliest political campaigns. One item in the archive is an expense report, dated August 11, 1926 and twice signed “Harry S Truman”. The other items include a brief letter to Truman, from Ernest Jackson. “Mr. Harry Truman Dear Friend :- Enclosed find the list of names for judges & clerks for the different precincts of Van Buren Twp…Hoping these good Democrats will all be appointed. I am so ever Your Friend Ernest Jackson”. There are also four typed pages giving the above-mentioned list of judges and clerks. All items are in very good condition. There are scattered rust stains from paperclips, and one typed list has small tears that do not affect any text. In 1926, Truman would be elected Presiding Judge of Jackson County, in Missouri’s Eastern District. This was his second-ever political position. Therefore, this unusual memorabilia is from the very start of a future President’s political career.

PRESIDENT TRUMAN PRESENTS THE CERTIFICATE OF MERIT TO DR. LOUIS JORDAN, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WORLD WAR II’S WAR METALLURGY COMMITTEE AND THE WAR METALLURGY DIVISION OF THE NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH COMMITTEE

HARRY S. TRUMAN (1884-1972).  Truman was the Thirty-Third President. 

DS. 1pg. 11” x 10”. March 1, 1948. Washington.  A document signed “Harry S Truman” as President and co-signed “Owen J. Roberts” as the Chairman of the Medal for Merit Board.  Truman awarded Dr. Louis Jordan the Certificate of Merit “for outstanding fidelity and meritorious conduct in aid of the war effort against the common enemies of the United States and its Allies in World War II”.  Owen Roberts served on the Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945.  The accompany letter state that Dr. Jordan served as the Executive Director “of both the War Metallurgy Committee of the National Research Council and of the War Metallurgy Division of the National Defense Research Committee, which proved to be an invaluable contribution to the war effort of the United States” from January 1942 to June 1946.  The famous scientist Linus Pauling once wrote to Jordan about the use of metal alloys to build hypervelocity guns.  The document has light curling along the top edge but is in fine condition with a four inch long Truman autograph.

PRESIDENT TRUMAN WRITES TO RUTH BRYAN OWEN, AMERICA’S FIRST WOMAN AMBASSADOR: “I AM FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GREAT INTEREST IN THE UNITED NATIONS AND YOUR EFFORT TO INFORM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THE NECESSITY FOR AN ASSOCIATION OF NATIONS FOR PEACE”

HARRY TRUMAN (1884-1972). Truman was the Thirty-Third President.

TLS. 1pg. 7” x 9”. October 5, 1949. The White House, Washington. A typed letter signed “Harry S Truman” as President on “The White House” stationery.  Truman wrote to Ruth Bryan (Owen) Rohde, the famous daughter of William Jennings Bryan: “I can’t tell you how very much I appreciated your good letter of September thirtieth.  I am familiar with your great interest in the United Nations and your effort to inform the American people on the necessity for an association of nations for peace.  I know you will do an excellent job.”  Owen was twice elected to the House of Representatives and was the first woman appointed as an ambassador when FDR, in 1933, sent her to Denmark and Iceland.  After World War II, she attended the San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations and, in 1948, President Truman made her an alternate delegate to the United Nations.  The letter is in very fine condition with a horizontal mailing fold.

HARRY TRUMAN SIGNS A GIANT PHOTOGRAPH TO POLITICAL RIVAL PAT McCARRAN

HARRY TRUMAN (1884-1972). Harry S. Truman was the Thirty-Third President.

PS. 18” x 14”. N.d. N.p. A photograph signed “Kindest regards Hon. Pat McCarran Harry Truman”. The giant photograph shows Truman sitting at his desk with papers in his hands. Truman and McCarran and a very tense relationship. While both were Democrats, they represented opposite ends of the party’s ideological spectrum and clashed repeatedly over civil liberties, immigration, and the Cold War. In 1947, McCarran supported and voted for Truman’s plan to prevent Greece and Turkey from becoming communist by providing aid. However, when McCarran’s request for increased economic aid to Spain and military aid to China was rejected, he broke with Truman. After this incident, McCarran continuously opposed Truman. This photograph has light damage to the upper left corner (but repaired and largely unnoticeable) and is professionally framed.

PRESIDENT TRUMAN SIGNS A 1946 MEMORANDUM ABOUT TRANSFERRING WHITE HOUSE OFFICE EMPLOYEES

HARRY TRUMAN (1884-1972).  Truman was the Thirty-Third President. 

Archive. 1945-1946. The White House.  An archive of materials related to transferring White House and Executive Department personnel shortly after Truman took over as President.  The highlight is a June 28, 1946 typed memorandum signed “M.C. Latta Executive Clerk” addressed to Truman.  The content states “The attached list has been prepared pursuant to your approval of the transfer to this office of certain employees now on detail from various Departments and agencies of the government and the promotion of some of these as well as regular White House Office employees to grades approved by the Civil Service Commission.  Action as indicated, effective July 1, 1946, is hereby recommended.”  At the conclusion, Truman wrote “Approved Harry S Truman”.  The memorandum is stapled to a ten page typed list of various Executive Department employees, including their name, the department where he or she works, their title, pay grade and salary.  There are several other similar typed memoranda, several signed by Frank K. Sanderson, an executive administrator in the Truman White House.  Overall, the pieces are in very good condition.  Most unusual Presidential content, reminding people that the President also runs one-third of the Federal government.