THE PRESIDENCY: Farmer Boy

Back from Christmas in Missouri, the President reluctantly peeled off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. The trip to Independence had been the kind of holiday he hated to cut short.

From the moment, the Sacred Cow landed on Kansas City's Fairfax Airport, the atmosphere had been warm with easy-going friendliness. Nothing tickled the President more than the greeting of one overalled crony: "You look fine. You're just the old farmer boy like you always was."

As the presidential motorcade whisked east to Independence, 22 miles away, Harry Truman had only one worry. He was afraid the turkey might have got...

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