Harry Truman's Forgotten Diary; "The Jews, I find are very, very selfish,"

Washington Post ^ | 07/11/03 | Rebecca Dana and Peter Carlson

[Pikamax]

washingtonpost.com Harry Truman's Forgotten Diary 1947 Writings Offer Fresh Insight on the President

By Rebecca Dana and Peter Carlson Washington Post Staff Writers Friday, July 11, 2003; Page A01

"The Jews, I find are very, very selfish," President Harry S. Truman wrote in a 1947 diary that was recently discovered on the shelves of the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., and released by the National Archives yesterday.

Written sporadically during a turbulent year of Truman's presidency, the diary contains about 5,500 words on topics ranging from the death of his mother to comic banter with a British aristocrat. But the most surprising comments were Truman's remarks on Jews, written on July 21, 1947, after the president had a conversation with Henry Morganthau, his Jewish treasury secretary. Morganthau called to talk about a Jewish ship in Palestine -- possibly the Exodus, the legendary ship carrying 4,500 Jewish refugees who were refused entry into Palestine by the British, then rulers of that land.

"He'd no business, whatever to call me," Truman wrote. "The Jews have no sense of proportion nor do they have any judgement [sic] on world affairs. Henry brought a thousand Jews to New York on a supposedly temporary basis and they stayed."

[nopardons]

Yoooooo hoooooooooo ... over here !

[nopardons]

And the media blasted Nixon for much, much less ! Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh !

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[dts32041]

Scratch a Democrat and find a slave masters mentality, going back to the roots of the party jefferson jackson foresset bedford mclellan daley, kennedy, etc.

[Bommer]

"My reaction is: Wow! It did surprise me because of what I know about Truman's record," says Sara J. Bloomfield, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Truman's sympathy for the plight of Jews was very apparent."

But Truman's comments were, Bloomfield says, "typical of a sort of cultural anti-Semitism that was common at that time in all parts of American society. This was an acceptable way to talk."

Well as long as it was acceptible because of the time, its OK! Just goes to show that there is no such thing as a bigoted Democrap! Just ask Robert Byrd! They were victims of the times is all!

[DPB101]

Sounds like Truman was having nightmares about "Operation Keelhaul." Good. He should have. Wonder if he knew White was a Soviet agent when he wrote this. White wrote the Morgenthau plan on Stalin's orders--a vicious little plot designed to let the Red Army reach the English Channel but which only had the effect of prolonging the war. Caused more of the DPs Truman agonized over too.

[nopardons]

I knew that you'd add much to this thread! :-)

Truman was a dreadful president and the newly revised history needs to be shot down with facts. Thank you for supplying some of them.

[185JHP]

Not in all parts of our society. Some Christians have opposed anti-Semitism for as long as there's been a USA. They know who the Jews are...

[america-rules]

What was wrong in what he said. Sometimes Jews act like they are owed something because of what they went through. It's the same with African-----Americans, Indians and sometimes Japanese because of WWII.

If this rubs someone the wrong way welcome to reality. We now have people bitching because they didn't pay any federal taxes and they don't get a tax refund.

Gimmy, gimmy gimmy is the bottom line for humans !

[nopardons]

There is a great deal WRONG with what Harry Truman wrote. Go read it again and then digest it, knowing that this was right after WW II and the " Jews " weren't asking for handouts; a member of Harry's CABINET was attempting to talk POLICY with him.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

"The Jews, I find are very, very selfish," President Harry S. Truman wrote....

I'm trying to think of something more selfish than a 'Rat.

[nopardons]

There is NOTHING more selfish than a RAT; no matter what race, religion, or sex.

[CobaltBlue]

>> Some Christians have opposed anti-Semitism for as long as there's been a USA. They know who the Jews are...<<

Some Christians oppose anti-Semitism without regard for "who the Jews are" but because racism and bigotry are wrong, period. Feel the same way about all forms of racial hatred.

[dwills]

indeed, those who feign special regard for jews as 'chosen' to play a role in the prelude to christian ascension, are mere bigots themselves

very discouraging that a majority of freepers oppose the roadmap to middle east peace out of ignorant superstition

[CobaltBlue]

I don't concede that it's a majority, although the poll certainly suggests that. But there are at least 100,000 freepers, and not so many have voted.

What you, and Dubya, call the "roadmap" is trying to find a way back to what was determined by the UN circa 1947-48 to be the only viable solution, a two state solution. The UN isn't a perfect body to be deciding these things, but in this situation, I believe it's better than relying on nature "red of tooth and claw."

I divide Israelis into two very loosely aggregated camps - in the first camp are fundamentalist religious Jews who want ALL of Biblical Israel for religious reasons, allied with people like Sharon who are maybe not so religious but think that the terrain would be more defensible than otherwise. In the second camp are more secular, pragmatic Jews who just want a Jewish state, perhaps one with more easily defensible contours, who feel compassion for the Palestinians, despite the awful things some of the Palestinians do.

In the first camp are many here on Free Republic who believe that the only solution is to get the Palestinians out of the West Bank, whether it be by force, bribery, or what.

I have no idea how many Israelis are in the second camp. After several years of Intifada, fewer than before, certainly.

[SauronOfMordor]

In the first camp are many here on Free Republic who believe that the only solution is to get the Palestinians out of the West Bank, whether it be by force, bribery, or what.

Personally, I think it's the first camp that has the pragmatic solution -- there will continue to be a "Palestinian problem" as long as there are Palestinians in the West Bank. Israel can't lose control of the West Bank and remain militarily defensible -- just look at the map. The long-term best solution is to create a financial incentive for Palestinian women of child-bearing age to emigrate elsewhere

[SauronOfMordor]

The full Truman quote, from later in the article, is:

"The Jews, I find, are very, very selfish. They care not how many Estonians, Latvians, Finns, Poles, Yugoslavs or Greeks get murdered or mistreated as D[isplaced] P[ersons] as long as the Jews get special treatment. Yet when they have power, physical, financial or political neither Hitler nor Stalin has anything on them for cruelty or mistreatment to the under dog. Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I've found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes."

[Mr. Mojo]

"Henry brought a thousand Jews to New York on a supposedly temporary basis and they stayed."

And odds are they were mostly hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens. ...What we want Americans to be.

[Tauzero]

"Put an underdog on top and it makes no difference whether his name is Russian, Jewish, Negro, Management, Labor, Mormon, Baptist he goes haywire. I've found very, very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes."

Absolutely true.