# May 8 is Truman Day! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545 "2015-05-08T12:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/1 "2015-05-08T12:13:13Z")
I’ve never even heard of this holiday before. You’d have to show me – I’m not from Missouri. Just continuing the chain of commemoratives. But, unlike Babe Ruth’s First Homer and The Sinking of the Lusitania, this isn’t a centennial – that was in 1984 It IS, however, the 70th anniversary of VE day. A nice 61st birthday present for Harry. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/2 "2015-05-08T17:14:48Z")
I will join you in saluting Give 'Em Hell Harry. He’s long been a personal hero of mine and his “if you can’t convince 'em, confuse 'em” is something I aspire to every day. Happy Harry Day. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/3 "2015-05-08T17:45:27Z")
I used to joke about what happened to Truman at his first inauguration: Truman: “…so help me God” Chief Justice: “Congratulations, Mr. President” Mysterious man: “Mr. President, now that you are in office, there is something we need to tell you concerning the war effort…” Seriously, the Manhattan Project was so secret that even Vice-President Truman was kept out of the loop. Actually, the message was more like this: > [@](#): > > Mr, President, I think it is very important that I should have a talk with you as soon as possible on a highly secret matter. > > I mentioned it to you shortly after you took office but have not urged it since on account of the pressure you have been under. It, however, has such a bearing on our present foreign relations and has such an important effect upon all my thinking in this field that I think you ought to know about it without much further delay. Oh, and it actually happened, albeit [in a letter](http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/todays-doc/?dod-date=424) dated April 24, 12 days after he became President. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/4 "2015-05-08T17:45:48Z")
I fully endorse this holiday as being long overdue. ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/5 "2015-05-08T17:53:08Z")
When I read the title I immediately thought it was the day Truman escaped from the studio dome. Am somewhat disappointed it’s about a president. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/6 "2015-05-08T19:23:28Z")
Even Bill O’Reilly, right-wing Fox bloviator, spoke well of Harry Truman. O’Reilly used to write weekly op-ed articles besides his TV ranting. (Does he still? Haven’t seen one for a while.) Usually, his favorite topic was ranting about the ACLU. But he was capable of writing a rational, coherent, and level-headed op-ed on the rare occasion that the fit so struck him. During the run-up to the 2004 election, he wrote a fair-and-balanced op-ed, decrying the level of dishonesty among all political office seekers, naming several prominent Democrat and Republican candidates alike. In the midst of this article, he concluded one paragraph with the words: > [@Bill O'Reilly](#): > > Where is Harry Truman when we need him? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/7 "2015-05-08T19:51:58Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > I fully endorse this holiday as being long overdue. The first attempt bombed. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/8 "2015-05-08T20:05:49Z")
Remember The Other Harry Truman, the stubborn old cuss who died in the Mt. St. Helens eruption? Ten days from now will be the 35th anniversary of his death. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-8-is-truman-day/719545/9 "2015-05-08T20:31:57Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Seriously, the Manhattan Project was so secret that even Vice-President Truman was kept out of the loop. > [snip] > Oh, and it actually happened, albeit [in a letter](http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/todays-doc/?dod-date=424) dated April 24, 12 days after he became President. And Stalin knew about it before Harry did.