MY HANDSHAKE WITH HARRY AND HISTORY In the presidential election of 1948, incumbent President Harry S. Truman was far behind Republican nominee Thomas Dewey in polls and popular perception. Truman had become President only because Roosevelt died in office. Fifty out of 50 political writers confidently predicted his defeat. But in an aggressive campaign summed up by the legendary phrase "Give 'em Hell, Harry", Truman took to the rails to cross the country on a whistle-stop tour. The President traveled over 30,000 miles, speaking in person before, by his own count, more than 15 million people. In 1948, I was a 9-year-old attending Grant School in Moline, Illinois. My father was a lifelong Democrat. He had spent many years in Chicago, and was a member of the Teamster's Union. My political "views" naturally reflected those of my father. At school, when I said I was sure that Truman would win the election, I was a laughing-stock, because everyone simply "knew" that Dewey was a shoo-in. Truman's whistle-stop tour stopped in Rock Island, and my parents and I went to listen to our favorite. Dad pushed me up to the back of the train in an attempt to get Truman to autograph my Bible. As that was about to happen, someone told Truman that the train had to leave, and the people on the rear deck of the President's car went back inside, leaving me with no autograph. The crowd started to disperse, and us along with them. Evidently, after we left, the train was delayed and Truman returned to the public, and said "Where is that boy with the Bible? I'd like to get his name." As is described in the newspaper article below, the Captain of Police took that as a command from the President, and the police eventually tracked us down. By that time, though, the train had departed, and I didn't have the Truman autograph. Well, despite the predictions of all the "experts" and the infamous Chicago Tribune headline that confidently blared "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN," Truman did win that election. His election in 1948 ranks as the greatest surprise in American political history, and in some ways served as the last hurrah for a style of campaigning that would become increasingly rare in the television age. Skipping forward many years, into the late 1960's, my parents had discovered that Truman was going to make an appearance at an event near Ottumwa, Iowa, where I had attended computer school, and we decided to attend and try again to get Truman's autograph. As it happens, the event was poorly attended... embarrassingly so considering the presence of a former President. Fortunately for us, it was not difficult to get to speak with Truman. He was accompanied only by his long-time secretary. Amazingly, my parents and I stood isolated, with Truman and his secretary, for some time. We related the whistle-stop story and wondered whether Truman might remember it. To his credit, he admitted that he didn't, but his secretary said that HE recalled it. Truman was quite old then, with snow-white hair. He seemed tired, but stood patiently, politely, and spoke with us. I asked him to autograph the same bible, and he unhesitatingly obliged. I've always thought it quite sad that a man who led the nation through some of its most difficult times, and made the toughest decisions ever forced on a leader, could be so ignored in his old age. Truth is, even after contacting the Truman library, I can find no verification that his visit near Ottumwa ever occurred. Nevertheless, we were there, and I gladly shook hands with the remarkable Harry Truman, a few years before his death on December 26, 1972. Here is what Truman wrote; click on it for a larger image

Watch a brief movie of the campaign An article about the election Truman with President Johnson