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Show Molts, AN INSIDE STORY Harry Truman will be known ai the man who didn't want to be President. Unassuming, modest, in love with his job as senator from Missouri, Harry never wanted to be vice president in the first place. And after he was elected, he dreaded the thought that anything might happen hap-pen to President Roosevelt. Once, during the campaign, he awoke in a co'd sweat. He had dreamed that Roosevelt had died and he was called upon to assume his mantle. Harry said he never had such a terrible ter-rible dream before in all his life. Truman had arrived in Speaker Sam Rayburn's office to discuss that awesome possibility when the call came to hurry to the White House. On Wednesday, the night before, Speaker Rayburn had had a premonition pre-monition of things to come. Dining with friends, Rayburn said: "This country is in for a great tragedy, and I feel it's coming very soon. I don't think the President will be with us much longer." Rayburn's listeners were shocked. When they asked the speaker for an explanation, he replied: "Roosevelt's not a well man." Refusing to be more specific, he turned his head away from the table for a moment and then said: "I think I'll have a talk with Harry (Truman) tomorrow. He's got to be prepared to carry a tremendous tre-mendous burden. He's got to get himself ready for this." Next afternoon, about three, even as Franklin Roosevelt was entering his last hour of life, Rayburn called over to Truman's Tru-man's office in the senate, said he wanted to see the vice president. Truman said he'd drop over when the senate recessed. re-cessed. Re had just arrived to see Rayburn when word came from Steve Early that the event which Truman so long dreaded, finally had transpired. TRUMAN'S OLD STAMPING GROUND It has been a long time since a President of the United States went up to Capitol hill to confer with congressmen. However, It didn't seem at all unusual when Pres. Harry Truman came up to the senate sen-ate for lunch on the first day he served as President of the United States. Also he didn't act any differently. dif-ferently. "I feel just as if someone had hit me over the head with a 16-pound 16-pound mallet," he said. "I don't know what's happened to me yet "This morning," he continued, "I wanted to come up on the hill to see my old friends, and they tried to tell me it wasn't done. " 'Done or not,' I replied, 'I'm going to do it.' "But when I went out to get my car, I found it surrounded by motorcycles. motor-cycles. They took me up to the hill and 'caused a terrible commotion on the street. They even stopped people peo-ple from crossing the street." At this point, Majority Leader Alben Barkley said: "That's just what happens to a country boy when he gets In your spot." Truman laughed and concluded: con-cluded: "Some day I hope they'll build a tunnel between congress and the White House so the President can come up here without blocking traffic." Truman also told his old congressional con-gressional colleagues that he hoped they would come down to see him. "I may not always agree with you," he said, "but I'll give your request all the consideration con-sideration I think it is worth." Michigan's Republican Senator Vandenburg piped up at this point t-ask, t-ask, "Couldn't you give it just a lit tie more consideration than yov think it's worth?" They all agreed that the Presi dency hadn't spoiled Harry and thej didn't think it would. COURAGEOUS SENATOR Though Harry Truman dreaded the possibility of becoming President, Presi-dent, as senator he never ran away from a fight. His chief senatorial battles wer as chairman of the so-caUed Tru man committee. The name resulted from Harry's crusading determina tion to investigate war scandals ot anything else interfering with tht war. Harry was so fervent that ever Republicans on the committee came to admire and respect him. Republican Senator Ferguson ol Michigan, one of the most fearless men in congress, joined the com mittee under the impression thai Truman was playing politics. He soon learned to the contrary. If the administration was to blame, Tru man said so. Ferguson came to b a rooter on the Truman team. Time after time also, Truman stood up against the army and navy. Some senators put their tails between their legs where the brass-hats are concerned. But not Truman. He also told the truth about Jesse Jones' delays In providing provid-ing synthetic rubber, exposed the secret deal with the Aluminum Alumi-num corporation for the Ship-shaw Ship-shaw plant in Canada, prodded the navy for failing to accept the Higgins landing craft, thus delaying the fateful European Invasion. |