HARRY S. TRUMAN LIBRARY INSTITUTE
HARRY B. TRUMAN LIBRARY – INDEPENDENCE. MISSOURI. B4050
TELEPHONE AREA CODE 816/833-1400
OFFCERS & DIRECTORS
[Unreadable List]
President
Vice President
Secretary
etc…
Dear Nominee:
Your name is on a list of a selected group of especially aware people to whom we are extending an invitation.
By this letter, we are inviting you to become an Honorary Fellow of the Truman Library Institute.
Please let us know within 14 days, by return of the enclosed card, whether you wish to accept or decline this designation.
In accepting, you will be joining such distinguished Americans as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., I. W. Abel, Arthur Goldberg, David E. Lilienthal, Hubert Humphray, Clark Clifford, Georgia Neese Clark Gray, William H. Hastie, and many others in helping to make the Truman Library a vital part of America’s political heritage.
Your tax-deductible annual dues of twenty-five dollars will make it possible for students, scholars, and authors from everywhere to come to Independence, Missouri, and avail themselves of the incredibly rich resource materials the Library contains.
At this crucial point in our history, when our nation is groping for rededication to honesty, integrity, and credibility in government, you will be making a significant contribution to keeping alive the spirit of Harry Truman.
As time passes, President Truman’s place in history is rising. To the eminence of Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln, historians now add mas great American Presidents not only Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Roosevelt, but also the name of Harry Truman of Independence, Missouri.
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Mr. Truman made no attempt to shroud himself in the grandeur of the office of the President of the United States. He remained as unpretentious after he became President as he was throughout his career.
But he called the shots as he saw them. He had a deep reverence for history, and placed his respect for the Office of President far above his own ego needs. He made outstanding appointments to high level positions and trusted them to do their jobs.
And he steered the nation with a steady hand through the dramatic days of winding up World war II… formation of the United nations...quick recognition and warm support of the newly declared State of Israel...the Marshall Plan for rebuilding Western Europe...his 1948 “Whistle Stop” campaign and his stunning upset victory over Thomas E. Dewey in the face of seemingly impossible odds...the Berlin Airlift...bold American leadership of the United Nations’ response to the invasion of South Korea by North Korea.
On his desk sat a homely sign given to him by an admirer. Its words have since passed into history, indelibly associated with President Truman’s strong sense of personal responsibility for the actions of his subordinates: “The buck stops here.”
When President Truman retired, he wished to preserve the papers and other historical material of his administration and make them available to all the people in a place suited for study and research. In addition, gifts from heads of state and ordinary citizens, as well as other items associated with him and his career, filled many rooms and needed a large museum facility in which to be properly displayed.
To realize this dream, The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum was built in Independence with funds contributed by thousands of individuals and organizations throughout the United States. The building and its contents were then donated to the U.S. Government. It is administered by the National Archives and Records Service as an integral part of the nation’s record-keeping system.
But this does not provide any funds for encouraging research and authorship and for financing additional acquisitions, two essentials to the continuing vitality of the Library in the stream of American history and culture.
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So the Truman Library Institute was formed to provide funds for these worthwhile objectives.
About two hundred fifty deserving students, scholars and authors have been able to come to the Library for research through grants-in-aid by the Library Institute for travel and living expenses. From these and other researchers have come hundreds of graduate papers and over 80 published books. But more funds are needed to continue and expand this program.
As an Honorary Fellow, you will receive recognition and appreciation for your support in the following:
- An individually inscribed annual membership card, permitting free admission to the museum of the Library for you and your family accompanying you. Approximately three million people have visited the museum. Appointments may be made for a guided tour of the exhibit galleries and behind the scenes in the research area.
- The Library Institute Newsletter, “Whistle Stop,” published throughout the year to keep the Honorary Fellows informed of the fruits of their support.
- A three-inch, half-pound, solid bronze Truman presidential medallion, obtainable only from the United States Mint, the Truman Library, collectors, and rare coin dealers.
- Your name recorded in a leatherbound Register of Honorary Fellows, as one of the exhibits viewed by the millions of Americans who will visit the Library museum for generations to come.
- Unexpected little privileges of Fellowship from time to time will include invitations to special programs and addresses and to receptions at the openings of new exhibits, or the printed programs of a Truman memorial occasion which you cannot personally attend.
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But, of course, far more important to you than any of these tokens of appreciation will be simply the inner satisfaction you will have in keeping the Truman spirit alive and enriching our political process with a better understanding of his contributions to the American Democratic tradition.
We do hope you will accept this invitation, It will mean a great deal to us if you do so, and we are certain it will mean a great deal to you.
But whether you wish to accept this invitation to become an Honorary Fellow or not, please let us know within 14 days. We have contracted for a special clerical task force which will be available for processing new memberships, and your prompt reply will help them complete their tasks within the time allotted.
Thank you for the courtesy of your reply.
Sincerely yours,
W. Averell Harriman
John W. Snyder
P. S.
For those whose good fortune or achievement permit them to contribute $100, we have created a special category, Honorary Associates. New members in this category will receive, in addition to all of the privileges of Honorary Fellowship listed above, (1) an exact replica of the famous sign, “The Buck Stops Here,” that sat on Mr. Truman’s desk in the Oval Office of the White House, (2) “The Man From Missouri,” a little book of memorable words, wisdom, and wit of Mr. Truman, culled from his speeches, letters and remarks.
