Harry S. Truman was not only a major political figure of the twentieth century, he was also a skilled communicator who was proud of his plain speaking. His letters, speeches, news conferences, memoirs, and other books are filled with elements of folk speech. Proverbs, proverbial expressions, and proverbial comparisons play an especially important rhetorical and communicative role, both in his personal relationships with family members and on the visible stage of regional, national, and international politics. This book begins with an introductory essay that discusses and analyzes the importance of proverbial language in Truman's published works. The bulk of the volume is a key-word index to the occurrence of proverbs in his writings, with the proverbs arranged according to the most significant word in the text. The quotation from Truman is accompanied by a citation to the source in his works consulted. Each entry also provides references to standard proverb dictionaries, which readers may consult to learn more about the history of a particular proverbial utterance. An appendix overviews the frequency of proverbs in Truman's writings. The interpretive essay together with the index clearly demonstrate that Harry S. Truman knew how to use proverbs effectively as colorful and accessible folk wisdom to communicate complex political ideas.

“Never has a President of the United States, or any head of state for that matter, been so totally revealed, so completely documented” (Robert A. Arthur). Plain Speaking is the bestselling book based on conversations between Merle Miller and the thirty-third President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. From these interviews, as well as others who knew him over the years, Miller transcribes Truman’s feisty takes on everything from his personal life, military service, and political career to the challenges he faced in taking the office during the final days of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Using a series of taped discussions from 1962 that never aired on television, Plain Speaking takes an opportunity to deliver exactly how Mr. Truman felt about the presidency, and his thoughts in his later years on his accomplishments and the legacy he left behind. “The values of Plain Speaking, on the whole, are those of the highest form of political communication: the bull session. As with all good bull sessions, what is said here ranges widely in quality and seriousness, as one should expect when dealing with a complex man.” —The New York Times “Plain Speaking has a nostalgic, downhome quality of good friends gossiping over the back fence, or saying their piece of a twilight eve rocking on the porch—and if those fellas back in Washington have their secret machines running, well, they won’t like what they overhear. Not one little bit.” —Kirkus Reviews

In an era of spin doctors and media consultants, it's refreshing to read the words of a politician who knew his own mind and wasn't afraid to speak it. That man was Harry Truman. This collection of quotes and anecdotes, as well as excerpts from Truman's diaries, letters and speeches, is a brilliant resource for information about the man and his time.

In this collection, published for the first time, we follow Harry S. Truman and Dean Acheson, two giants of the post-World War II period, as they move from an official relationship to one of candor, humor, and personal expression. In these letters, spanning the years from when both were newly out of office until Acheson's death at age 78, we find them sharing the often surprising opinions, ideas, and feelings that the strictures of their offices had previously kept them from revealing. They felt a powerful need to keep in touch as they viewed with dismay what they considered to be the Eisenhower administration's fumbling of foreign affairs and the impact of Joseph McCarthy. After Kennedy won in 1960, they discussed Acheson's reluctant involvement in the Cuban missile crisis and the Allied position in Berlin--From publisher description.

Selections from President Harry Truman's speeches and writings.

Demonstrates how proverbs and to a lesser extent proverbial expressions, have played a significant role in political life during the 20th century. Takes as major examples the speeches and writings of Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, and Harry Truman to show how proverbs can be brought into the service of most any ideology. Also traces the use of proverbs and their cartoon analogues during the five decades of Cold War propaganda, and proverbial slurs against Native Americans and Asian Americans. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR