Dear Bess: September 21, 1946
Transcript
Welcome to the Dear Bess/ Dear Harry podcast for September 21, 2022, brought to you by Harry S Truman National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service.
Today we’d like to share a letter written by President Harry S Truman to First Lady Bess Wallace Truman, who was back home at 219 North Delaware Street, in Independence, Missouri. In this letter, Truman writes about firing his Secretary of the Commerce, Henry A Wallace.
Henry Wallace served as one of Franklin Roosevelt’s vice presidents, but was replaced on the 1944 ticket by Senator Harry S Truman of Missouri. Wallace was well regarded by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, but he soon found himself at odds with the Truman administration, particularly Truman’s hard line on the Soviet Union. This is what led, ultimately, to Truman demanding Wallace’s resignation, and receiving it.
Thanks for listening. Here’s the letter.
[The White House] September 21, 1946
Dear Bess:
Well I fired Wallace but not by the letter I'd written. I called him and told him he ought to get out. He was so nice about it I almost backed up. I just don't understand the man and he doesn't either. Now that's some statement. I am enclosing you two clippings from the News. One by Tom Stokes on Wallace, which I think may be correct, and an editorial--over which I almost shed tears. I did sit down and write John O'Rourke a note (he's the editor of the News) telling him that now he could call me crazy, crook, or incompetent and I'd never fall out with him.
The reaction to firing Henry is terrific. The stock market went up twenty points! I've had an avalanche of telegrams from Maine to California agreeing with the action. I've also had some from New York, Detroit, and California calling me a traitor to F.D.R. and a warmonger. But I think I'm right. Charlie Ross told me I'd shown I'd rather be right than President and I told him I'd rather be anything than President, and Clifford said, "Please don't say that." Anyway it's done and I feel like Mon Wallgren's Swede. This Swede owned a fine retail business and was doing fine, but according to Mon he became somewhat intimate with a lady named Gina Olson. Gina came to his store one day and told Ole (Mon's Swede) that she thought she was due to produce a child but that she wasn't sure. She told him that she was going to see the local doctor and find out for sure. Well Ole walked the floor, kicked and cussed himself for a fool and wished he'd behaved. Gina came back shortly and told Ole that the Doc could not see her until the next day. So they decided to take a walk and discuss the situation. The walk led them to the town reservoir. Gina said to Ole with Mon's Swede accent, "You know if what I believe is true is confirmed by the doctor tomorrow, I shall come up here and jump into that reservoir." Ole threw his arms around her and said, "Oh Gina, you don't know what a load you take off my mind." Also in Mon's Swedish dialect.
Well Henry's demise makes me feel like Ole did--but not for the same reason, thank God. That reminds me, I had a telegram from Steve Early which said, "Thank God. Steve." Just three days.
Lots of love, Harry
In this Dear Bess letter, President Harry S Truman writes about firing his Secretary of Commerce, Henry A. Wallace. But the Truman-Henry Wallace story doesn't end there...in 1948, Henry Wallace ran against Truman (and Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond) for president. But Wallace for only a small fraction of the vote, about 2.38%.
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/library/truman-papers/correspondence-harry-s-truman-bess-wallace-truman-1921-1959/september-21-1946