Home for the Weekend

Harry Truman wanted to go home to Missouri for the weekend. So he and Bess Truman set out for Independence, by plane.

The Presidential C-54 lurched through stormy weather, sat down at Kansas City behind a sister ship that carried reporters and secret servicemen. Up the ramp of the "Sacred Cow" ran daughter Mary Margaret; her "Hi, Daddy!" rang out above the low roar of the engines.

Ten miles away, at Independence, Mayor Roger T. Sermon was waiting for them at the summer White House, 219 North Delaware Avenue. The night's poker game was all set up. Cook Vietta Garr had the corn in the kettle and the steaks on the fire.

Perfume from Potsdam. It was getting dark when Harry Truman and his daughter crossed the street to visit his aunt, 96-year-old Mrs. Joseph Noland. He had brought her a present--his framed photograph. For Cousins Nellie and Ethel Noland he had three bottles of perfume, bought at Potsdam.

That night there were enough guests at Mayor Sermon's house for two poker games: Marshal Fred Canfil, an old crony who was courthouse custodian when Harry Truman was a county judge; Eddie Jacobson, Truman's ex-partner in haberdashery; roly-poly, bonhomous Roy Roberts of the Kansas City Star, who doesn't play poker but likes to be in on anything; a scattering of judges and newspapermen. Harry Truman played until 1:30, enjoyed himself hugely.

He was up at 6:30 next morning, ready for the 20-mile drive to Grandview to visit his 92-year-old mother. He found her well, "as fine as she could be." As usual, she gave him a maternal admonition. "Mother just told me to be careful and I'm trying to follow her advice."

Back in Kansas City he dropped in at Eddie Jacobson's Westport Men's Wear Shop, examined the stock expertly, bought 18 pairs of size 11 socks. To Eddie, who hadn't won a pot in the poker game, he chuckled: "I thought you'd need this sale, after what we did to you last night." Then, recalling the dark day in 1922 when they had gone bankrupt, he asked, "How's business, anyhow?"

"It's wonderful," said Eddie Jacobson, "but you know, there's one thing that's worrying me: it's this inflation."

"It worries me too," said the President. "But Eddie, I'm watching it all the time."

Nothing Smelly. At Frank Spina's barbershop Harry Truman got his usual trim, reminded his old barber: "None of that fancy stuff. I don't want anything that smells." He got plain water. Over at the Federal Building he saw more old friends and held a brief press conference. Of the Supreme Court vacancy he told reporters: "The hardest thing in the world is to find a good man when you want one." After lunch he went home to Independence and slept all afternoon.

Next morning, instead of going to church ("it creates such a disturbance"), he stayed home and read the Sunday papers. Then he drove back to Grandview, and at the little airport said goodbye to his family. Reaching up to kiss him, his mother got in a final word: "You be good, but be game, too." The hometown weekend was over.

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