Harry Truman's Forgotten Diary

The Washington Post ^ | July 11, 2003 | Rebecca Dana and Peter Carlson

[alloysteel]

"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 Morgenthau, the Jewish former treasury secretary. Morgenthau 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.

[bandleader]

I wasn't aware that Harry Truman had been a KKK member?Did he and Bobby Byrd stay up nights cutting holes in bedsheets??

[Enterprise]

Hell, how can I explain why he had positive views on Israel but then had anti-semitic writings. Typical politican, playing both sides of the issue.

[Enterprise]

They might have cut sheets together. Probably they sang together the Klan's version of "The Old Rugged Cross" as "The Old Burning Cross."

[thegreatbeast]

What Truman wrote does not constitute anti-semitism.

The suggestion that Truman was a Klan member is modified by the word "reportedly" suggesting that further proof is required.

The writing in this diary does seem posed and theatrical but I would think it was verified by the library staff.

[bandleader]

I find it very peculiar how The DemonRats can control 90% of the black vote when it was DemonRats(Whigs)that were the slave-owners!Also,how the Jewish vote typically goes to The DemonRats!!What are these people thinking of?Is this demonstrated lack of education among these groups all part of a sinister DemonRat plan to keep people stupid while looking after some of their biggest donors(teacher's unuions)???I'm not into "conspiracy theories",but this looks pretty solid to me!!!!!!!

[Enterprise]

Well, Gentle Annie had about 46 pages of references in her book. She includes The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, the Washington Times, CNN Inside Politics, The New Yorker, and The Natiinal Review as some of her references. I didn't see any John Birch Society tracts as references.

Well, as for fighting Communism, he stood by while numerous nations of Eastern Europe were swallowed up by Russia. He lost China. He fought Korea to a rousing stalemate. He fired McArthur and replaced Patton. Truman fought Communism like a girl. In fact, he was a little bitch.

At the time Communism was greatly expanding, the Republicans were outraged. The RATS and their lap dogs in the media were just fine with it. I would hardly call Truman a right wing extremist during the time of his Presidency.

[Norse]

Coulter is absolutely wrong about Truman. I have her book also, given to me as a gift. I put it down after reading some of the garbage in there.

[bandleader]

Once a "Rat",always a "Rat"!Imagine that,Truman coming to the aid of that slavery fan,Buchanan,and then Andrew Johnson!!Johnson was the only(un-elected)POTUS to be impeached as opposed to BeelzeBubba who was(thanks to a lot of stupid,misguided people as well as "that little hand-grenade with a bad haircut"),elected!!!

[fooman]

You are being kind. I think Ike finished Korea 6 months into his term.

[Norse]

Truman did what he had to to in order to CONTAIN communism and prevent it from spreading too far. Halting communism altogether at that point had NOTHING to do with American security interests. It's like saying that the U.S. should invade Africa and start it all over.

The only point where he SHOULD have destroyed communism altogether was directly after World War II, when the U.S. military could have gone straight to Moscow.

Otherwise, he knew full well that communism would collapse on his own.

[SJackson]

Thanks for the ping. Sounds like Henry Morgenthau really *issed old Harry off. In that context, given the times he grew up in, the remarks in a personal diary don't mean much.

[Helms]

Here e go again, the Postmodernist' ploy of judging the past by the standards of the present:

Wait a minute hear, what the Liberals Demi-god, FDR and his comments re Jews circa WWII?

[Helms]

Here we go again, the Postmodernist's ploy of judging the past by the standards of the present:

Wait a minute here, what about the Liberals Demi-god, FDR and his comments re Jews circa WWII?

[alloysteel]

As others may have noted, there is no final draft on history. As we communicate among ourselves, there is a small but continuous effort to discredit Abraham Lincoln for his place in history (note of disclaimer - the "al" in "alloysteel" expands to Abraham Lincoln), by reading through his formal records and notes, expanding meanings that may or may not have been there. The record is somewhat more concrete in the case of Harry S Truman. This diary of Harry's is NOT a forgery, it is his inner thoughts. As expressed and recorded by Harry himself.

[SauronOfMordor]

The full quote, 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."

Basicly, he's acting surprised that people would be more interested in the welfare of their own "group" than in people who are not part of their "group"

[SJackson]

Hate the WP, all this sniping. It’s probably worth putting your excerpt in context, Truman’s apparent anger at Henry Morgenthau over the fate of 4,500 Jewish refugees at sea, probably the Exodus. Your quote’s preceded by

”He'd no business, whatever to call me. 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."

Put an underdog on top…very few who remember their past condition when prosperity comes is a bit humorous in the context of 4,500 homeless refugees bobbing about the ocean.

[Enterprise]

Well, here's another source then.

During certain periods of the 20th century--in the 1920s and again in the 1950s--the KKK's active membership swelled to massive proportions, not just in the South but in rural areas of the North as well. In the 1920s Klan members held posts in the highest levels of the government--including two former presidents who were Klan members. In 1921 Warren G Harding was initiated as a Klan member at the White House, and Harry Truman paid dues as a Klan member in the 1920s, years before he was elected president.

http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/sr176/smith.htm

[Enterprise]

"Truman did what he had to to in order to CONTAIN communism and prevent it from spreading too far."

What a great sense of humor you have!

[Enterprise]

Well, if Ann is wrong about Truman, then so are the many liberal sources she used in writing the book.

[Enterprise]

Great post! In other words, Harry Truman in his OWN WORDS!