Idling Time

Harry Truman, wan and weary, throttled his calendar back to idling speed last week as the hour grew closer for his departure for Key West, Fla. and five weeks' vacation. He delivered his speech on world disarmament before the television cameras, bade formal farewell to India's Ambassador Madame Pandit (who is going home to stand for Parliament), and rambled and reminisced his way through three days' worth of pleasant ceremonial chores.

For the ladies of his Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, he recited still another grandmother story. "My red-haired grandmother, on one occasion, routed a whole band of Indians by herself and two great big shepherd dogs," said he. "The women of this day & age have that same spirit." For the National Cartoonists Association, he debunked the old legend of George Washington's throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac. "It was a Spanish piece of eight," said Historian Truman, "and it was thrown across the Rappahannock . . . Any ten-year-old boy could throw a dime across at that place. But I am doubtful that Washington, with his acquisitive habits, would ever let loose of a Spanish piece of eight."

On the first day of his vacation, he was up for an 8 o'clock takeoff, landed in Key West at noon in disappointingly chilly weather. He was understandably hard put to muster a quip when the White House correspondents (who had flown down just ahead of the Independence) met him dressed up in Confederate caps and handlebar mustaches, making painful fun of his recent spate of grandmother stories. He rushed through the handshaking ceremonies with Navy and civilian brass, then disappeared gratefully behind the "Sorry, No Visitors" sign at the naval base. Right after lunch, he turned in for a nap, slept all afternoon.

Next morning, the President downed a breakfast of grapefruit, a four-minute egg, toast & coffee, put on two shirts (wool over cotton) and, despite chilly weather, hiked along the Key West sea wall before the town was awake. The drizzle ruled out his swim at Truman Beach, but he spent the morning indoors beside the phonograph, listening to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Chopin's Polonaise and Brahms's Symphony No. i.

At week's end, the temperature remembered its manners, warmed up to the 80s. Harry Truman plunged in for his first swim (in 73DEG water), came out with the first sign of his old bounce that the reporters had seen for days.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.