"Today
Washington was charged with tenseness over the rail strike and what Truman
might do about it. To be in on the
ground floor John and I dropped down to the Capitol about noon. Since the joint session at which Truman was
schedule to speak was to be held in the House chamber at 4 P.M. -- the whole
south end of the capitol was blocked off by capitol police. Admission was by
special pass only....
"With
no chance of seeing the big show... I decided to watch the Senate fireworks
touched off by the railroad strike. Today the galleries were full-- and almost
every senator was on the floor!!!...
"Not
being able to crack the secret service ring around the house wing, I decided to
wait with the crowd outside the Capitol for a glimpse of Pres. Truman.... Then
came the big climax -- the president's car with Harry clinging to a strap in
the back rear corner sped by at 20 mph.
I snapped a picture which probably won't turn out since he was in front
of me when I recognized him. With that
-- the crowd suddenly released after being held in check by presidential guards
-- raced like stampeding cattle to catch a glimpse of Pres. Truman -- the
common-like man who walked into that same building a couple of years ago
unnoticed.
"I
heard the speech in a park across the street from the Capitol by portable radio
in a little gathering which included a commodore. He put a lot of feeling into the talk -- and
got the biggest ovation ever given Truman.
Then, I got another glimpse of the president when his car headed back
for the White House....
"The
housewives have gone hogwild on buying bread here. Unless you're on hand when the store opens
it's a breadless day. We rarely eat
break anyhow; so it doesn't affect us."
--Letter
from my father, Washington, D.C., to his brother, Bloomington, Kans., Saturday,
May 25, 1946.
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