Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure - Matthew Algeo [0]
“Utterly likable.” —Christopher Buckley, Washington Post
“A lively, humorous glimpse into an unlikely presidential vacation and a vanished era.”
—History Magazine
“Brassy, bright, energetic, brief, and declaratively American.”
—Washington Times
“An engaging account…. Well-researched.”
—Wall Street Journal
“This very readable book takes us back to a country quite different in many ways from today. Readers will feel almost like they’re sitting in the back seat of the 1953 Chrysler, enjoying the trip.”
—BookPage
“Algeo chronicles this unlikely excursion in great and wonderful detail…. [An] enchanting glimpse into a much simpler age.”
—Library Journal
“Charming.” —St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Engaging.” —Booklist
“With deliberate detours, this book is a portal into the past with layers of details providing unusual authenticity and a portrait of the president as an ordinary man.” —Publishers Weekly
“An absolutely wonderful book.” —Virginian-Pilot
“Now, this is what’s called a road trip.”
—In Transit, New York Times travel blog
“With this excellent road story, Algeo has helped preserve the essence of a great man.” —Jackson (MS) Free Press
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Algeo, Matthew.
Harry Truman’s excellent adventure / Matthew Algeo. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-777-7
ISBN-10: 1-55652-777-2
1. Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972. 2. Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972—Travel—United States. 3. Automobile travel—United States. 4. Truman, Harry S., 1884–1972—Finance, Personal. 5. Presidents—Retirement—United States. 6. Presidents—United States—Biography. I. Title.
E814.A75 2009
973.918092—dc22
[B] 2008040136
Cover design: Visible Logic, Inc.
Interior design and cover layout: Jonathan Hahn
Front cover photo: AP/Wide World Photos
Map design: Chris Erichsen
© 2009 by Matthew Algeo
Afterword © 2011 by Matthew Algeo
All rights reserved
First hardcover edition published 2009
First paperback edition published 2011
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-56976-707-8
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
To Allyson, the best girl ever.
I like roads. I like to move.
—Harry S. Truman
Contents
Preface
1 Washington, D.C., Inauguration Day, 1953
2 Independence, Missouri, Winter and Spring, 1953
3 Hannibal, Missouri, June 19, 1953
4 Decatur, Illinois, June 19–20, 1953
5 Indianapolis, Indiana, June 20, 1953
6 Wheeling, West Virginia, June 20–21, 1953
7 Frostburg, Maryland, June 21, 1953
8 Washington, D.C., June 21–26, 1953
9 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 26–27, 1953
10 New York, New York, June 27–July 5, 1953
11 Pennsylvania (or, Abducted), July 5–6, 1953
12 Columbus, Ohio, July 6–7, 1953
13 Richmond, Indiana, July 7, 1953
14 Indianapolis, Indiana, July 7–8, 1953
15 St. Louis, Missouri, July 8, 1953
Epilogue
Postscript
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Sources
Bibliography
Index
Preface
On the afternoon of July 5, 1953, a slightly bored state trooper named Manley Stampler was patrolling a lonely stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the town of Bedford, about one hundred miles east of Pittsburgh. Around three o’clock, Stampler spotted a gleaming black Chrysler ahead of him in the left lane, with a line of cars behind it. The Chrysler was blocking traffic. It wouldn’t move over to the right lane. Pennsylvania law required—still requires, in fact—that traffic keep right, except to pass. Stampler zipped up the right lane, pulled alongside the Chrysler, and motioned for it to pull over. It was, in the trooper’s estimation, as routine as a routine traffic stop could be.
The Chrysler obediently moved to the right shoulder and slowed to a stop, its tires crunching on the loose gravel. Stampler passed the car and parked in front of it. He stepped out of his cruiser, adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, and slowly