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Conversation among Harry S. Truman, Merle Miller, David Noyes, and William Hillman, Tape 1, Side A. These tapes were the basis of the book "Plain Speaking." See finding aid for Merle Miller tapes for detailed information and description. Subjects discussed in this tape include witchcraft and hysteria in the United States.
This recording duplicates portions of Tapes 4B, 10B, 8A, and all of Tape 11. This recording covers the following topics:
- the witchcraft hysteria in seventeenth century Massachusetts
- Jefferson accused of being a "Jacobin"
- Anti-Masonic movement in the campaign of 1832
- Know-Nothing movement
- these two movements were the foundation for the Ku Klux Klan
- description of the origin of the Anti-Masonic movement
- the Know-Nothing and Anti-Masonic movements became anti-Catholic, and then became anti-everything
- the Ku Klux Klan, "the orneriest outfit the country every produced"
- Nathan Bedford Forest organized and then tried to disband the Ku Klux Klan
- Reconstruction was in fact "Redestruction"
- Alien and Sedition Laws - post World War I hysteria
- not as bad as earlier hysteria
- Joe McCarthy
- "a no-good son-of-a-bitch"
- only Senator in history who was almost unanimously censured
- "I cussed him out every time I got a chance"
- he was afraid of Truman
- a coward
- something in the American character prevents hysteria from carrying on too long
- vast majority of Americans are people of common sense
- some hysteria in agricultural areas during depression of 1930s
- common sense returned and things calmed down
- reasons why people became hysterical
- common sense always returns
- John Birch Society
- the politician's role in a time of hysteria
- he must have guts and do what's right
- he must make government work
- 1948: a time when a politician had to lead the people in the right direction
- if the people see that a politician is trying to do what's right, they will stay with him
- Americans have good common sense
- Truman was not a "made up" person
- 1960 campaign: a public relations quality
- counterfeits never last long
- the people can see through counterfeits
- people can see the truth, they are moral and well brought up
- Eisenhower as synthetic figure
- his office went to his head
- the 1930s
- a period of demagoguery
- the Pearl Harbor attack finally brought the country together
- decent people always take charge eventually
- this is not a special time
- there are always problems in the world
- lessons in history
- one generation does not learn the previous ones until the lessons are brought home with a hammer blow
- youngsters today think they know how to do things better, but they will learn eventually that they are part of a continuum
- the need for international law that can be enforced