The attempted assassination why would the government why would any had a pension . But no penchant for president in fact he had very little money and had to borrow some money. Quite secretly and then for the move back home. This is not well known he did have money but he needed some cash to cover all of the experiment on dash expenses. And when he got home in order to provide himself some income he took the writing of his autobiography in memoirs that no other president had ever done except for hoover but his time in office was much more brief him that covered the more tumultuous history so that was a major ambitious task and then he built his library for there was a Previous Library but it was established after roosevelt died in office so truman was the first over the president ial library and then he began something new so then to imply or emphasize in the book is that truman was in part a creative public figure he had been a builder all of his life he built the famous truman balcony on the back of the white house to a great flurry of criticism. And he entirely rebuilt the white house what we have today is the house that harry built except to the outer shell the entire interior is a reconstruction of the interior. He had every detail and he loved creating. And in a larger way and is marked by such creative and innovative acts as the Marshall Plan and truman doctrine. And then to be a builder in this chapter and then to welcome guests and take people around was his life. Did you ever meet them . No i saw him once on my first job in new york. I gotta job at Sports Illustrated a new magazine i was coming home from work one night. Is stopping at the old st. George hotel. There was a small crowd waiting for governor hammond stepped out i had never seen the governor before so i was excited about that then out stepped president truman , former president truman. And i was just astonished. And i remember thinking oh my god he is in color because we only had black and White Television and newspapers. So the fact he had high color radiated good health that made him seem vital. And did not seem like a little man like he was 6foot 8 inches. I never spoke to him or met him i also thought wouldnt that be interesting if we could go back in time to reach out and touch them on the shoulder and say mr. President , i will write your biography some day. What would he think about this . I am sure there is some of that he would not like because this is after an honest attempt to see the complete man for all of his flaws. And then to understood him better. And to be much more complicated and keenly intelligent and thoughtful and considerate man and the stereotype that is James Whitmore he just as in a down home will rogers all the people i have interviewed him that knew him and worked with him in the white house, they all say please understand this man was much more than met the eye. How many did you do . 126 and that was across the Broad Spectrum and those that hardly knew him at all but to see him come and go and also some of whom are so important. Who did you spend the most time with . I would guess in tota total, either Margaret Truman or george who was on the white house staff. And some of the secret Service People because they were with him all the time. Are secret Service Allowed to talk after the fact . Apparently so. And they are wonderful because they saw him in all conditions, offstage, and under enormous pressure. Even with the attempted assassination to secret service men who are still here in washington walked me through the whole event both inside and outside blair house where it took place. Spent the better part of one saturday doing that. Im sure thats never been done before so my account of that is based on material that can only be had through living people. And their devotion to harry truman is a compelling thing to listen to. I did not find a Single Person who knew him well he wanted to say that terrible backstage temper and the closer people were they were devoted to him and to find people that they didnt like and had some skeletons to pull out of the closet. I started ten years ago 1982. I was looking for a subject i had to go around the barn and i quit that book and i found out i dislike him so he was a repugnant human being. And he didnt really have a story at the time that interested me. He was successful, he never had any adventures or went very far. Tremendously one tremendously important painter. But i found his treatment of his family, attitude toward wome women, nobody wanted to spend five years with as a roommate so to speak. My editor at Simon Schuster suggested i think about doing Franklin Roosevelt because at that time there was not a good one volume biography. Just on impulse i said no. If im doing 20th century president would it be roosevelt it would be truman. He said why not harry truman . So i looked into it. There wasnt a good biography of your he truman. A complete life and times this last chapter that you talk about the his part of life has never been written before comprising 20 years of his life. So there was elements collection of letters and diaries he pulled himself out on paper all his life when im sure well never have another president we will have to write letters or keep diaries and he did both and that he would be a figure in history. And when his wife was back and independents looking after her mother truman wrote to her 37 times. Not just a simple how are you the weather is turning cooler but real letters. And strong handwriting but to be very legible theres never a problem reading his handwriting. But at some point he and his wife call their daughter margaret every night . Yes. They are very close. The same people as secret Service Agents and how they said the closest family they have ever known in the white house. Although they dont want to be quoted in person but they all say truman is their favorite president. And to walk out to the connection one kitchen to thank the chef for the cook for the dinner that night. And then to see if that they were stealing food. Truman knew everybody by name. This wasnt a politicians device and the job are in the white house. And never gave anyone hell. And then also how considerate he was. John adams born 1735 and live through 1826 and live longer than any president in our history. He has been commonly taught of as a rich boston blueblood that because of a scholarship to harvard and lets please today remember john adams the second president of the United States to sign legislation to create a library of congress. And to remember john adams is altogether particularly appropriate in this occasion. He was a man of genuine brilliance and also a great of great heart and humor and devoted to his country. And devoted to his wife and family. And one of the bravest patriots in history. Sometimes temperamental or overly concerned to his position or place and to his disadvantage never considering popularity his mistress. He never courted anybody. His courage was the courage of his convictions one of the most important principle behavior and the only founding father who ever owned a slave as a matter of principle. And historically the thing to do. Abigail and john adams. Abigail more ardently than her husband. The waterfall that suffering is gods punishment. This synergy on San Andreas Fault that runs through the story and does to me people not seem to understand well before the declaration of independence. John dickinson that was in many ways launching into a storm made of paper. And then that we succeeded. And to fight for and to succeed in gaining our independence. John adams would have not set free he was a independent and free. And new englanders by nature and cultural tradition are fiercely independent people. So was religion. So with that time and moment in history and those present at one protagonists we believe in the separation of church and state that did not mean the separation of church and statesman. If we really want to understand understand the part religion played. They also had longdistance communications that took a lot of time and is almost beyond our reckoning to get a letter back with philadelphia and boston and it took at least two weeks. And then to be separated cumulatively ten years and that separation was created by the Atlantic Ocean took upwards between three and six months. And what does that mean cracks it meant both and personal life and diplomatic or official life that one had to be more responsible than we understand today for ones own decisions. Went to balance accounts because that was the only means of subsistence to educate children whether to give smallpox shots come and they had to make those decisions themselves. She couldnt ask what should i do . That was a part of life. That assumption of responsibility to ones self. When he was serving in france and in netherlands and englan england, he had to make tremendous decisions on his own. Of course at the time but also his own career but that was because it was necessary. We think of communication and transportation is two different things. Back then it was the same thing. And then to live in a different time. And a very interesting time. And not only what they wrote. Neither john nor Abigail Adams was capable to write a long sentence or a short letter they wrote over 1000 letters to each other that survived. All in the Massachusetts Historical Society at all on rag paper and as a consequence they are as good as a day they are written you can hold them in your own hand about the same distance from your eyes as they did. And something very important it isnt as to see it on microfilm or reproduced in a book. The mortality, the vulnerability of those people comes through in the bravery. Think of that woman at 11 00 oclock at night by herself doing all she did to write those letters. And inserting into her letter a wonderful quotation from one of her favorite poets or shakespeare. And always getting it a little bit wrong. [laughter] which shows she did not look it up. She wasnt taking a book down off the shelf this will make me look great. And equally important and rewarding experience and i did a small piece in the Washington Post this summer to go back and read all those that were required to read those courses with samuel richardson. And then to be reminded how terrific they were. And to talk about five on progress and limit with the benefits of progress. Like when we go to the dentist. [laughter] think of john adams everyone had been pulled. And that certain insanity like for the 18th century and i will tell you Something Else that should make a shape up. The Literacy Rate was higher in their time than it is today. What a lot of work still has to be done about that. And that affected their lives with that notion of truth and heroism how you write a letter. Dont try to write literature when you write a letter. And then you read those letters and then you hear them talk. One of the things ive done my books and particularly in this book and then to let them talk as much as possible. And the figures of speech in the cadence and that personality and style. Abigail was hugely influenced by richardson especially the great novel carissa which was the most popular novel of the 1h century and she wrote an interesting letter to her knees saying she wanted to read clarissa write your letters like they are in the novel. Is just letters people writing letters back and forth to each other. So thats how hers are written. Those were written a large part because they were separated for so many years and because of the separation and as a consequence. Even were not separated from her husband she would write to her sister for example. She needed to put her thoughts out on paper and this is a very important point. And then you sit down and you start to write something and that you have a thought you never would have had if you hadnt forced yourself. To focus the brain in a different way. We have some video of your home and your writing shed. This is personal. It is and the shed it is headquarters. And the village in the center of the island of Marthas Vineyard as part 18th century part 19th century. And then to look back over the acre that we own like a nice reach back to a neighboring farm since the island was first settled. In the fact one any fact that is my walk to work right there. And then there is a hundred dollars in their and the typewriter every book i have ever written on that typewriter. And it has 750,000 miles and runs perfectly. Everything in this room . Everything. We lived in charlottesville for a year. And at the university of virginia but essentially all of it was written here in the room. I work all day every day. Im not writing all day i am reading or correcting the day before and going over notes. No music. There is a nice view but i have my back to it so im not tempted. And its far enough from the house i can see general washington and his soldiers marching around. David they were a little behind. I work out there because when the children were young, i didnt want them to have to be walking around. There was a call made to really look at what is in front of me as i worked. That was the earliest photograph of the capital. A love that photograph. I love them all. We can talk about this later. This is the great line from adams letter to abigail about the promise and the rise of the role. In his indicated there into the mantelpiece at the white house. This map of boston, which figures very importantly this book and i am working on now. And its a contemporary map in the adams book. I take everything that this wonderful crayon drawing by a french artist of john adams pretty think is one of the best most rep. Of him ever done. I love it drawing, i love painting. I painted all myself. And since it is the only way we can see those is in the drawings, and paintings of the utmost importance. In trying to reach the human being that one is writing about. Those letters of George Washington which again, aspired what i am working on today. Doug of the property, when we were building this little building right work. Host hello he lived in that house there. David i bought it in 1965 and pay less for it than you would buy a car for it today. We slowly began to restore it and fix it up. We lived there for a time at cornell. I was later in residence in new mexico for a while. In the aggregate of half of the year at least. And in missouri when i was working on the german work. This is the other work area. This is where all of our paraphernalia of the communications are located. The fax machine, the copy machine, the computer, and so forth. Thats a little signed this is no cell phones permitted in this room which i click from a hotel in london. I love that little sign. We were in italy having lunch, thats a photograph of when i spoke at the joint session of congress, i really love it because it showed that jim drawing speaks to my eloquence. Some grandchildren, the previous picture, grandfather from ireland who had a lovely irish place there. The house in Marthas Vineyard. The paintings are here and there around the house. We give them to the children. That is one from our hotel room in boston. Thats the bostons public garden. Host how long did it take you to do these watercolors. David in montana, thats a little sketch near the house we lived. Its something ive always loved to do. And thats our oldest daughter melissa and her first granddaughter caitlin. John mcdonald her husband. This the Public Library across the street where i was a trustee. So you see, you see your house, he had to go through the garden to get to the library. I used to say would you like to go into the library for brandy and cigars. And we would go across the street. [laughter]. And is the church where some of our children were married. And that was the corner where we lived. Host if this increases and this. Whos in this photo. David is a picture of my mother. Probably taken before i was born. Mother on the left and my aunt Marty Mccullough on the right. I love it because its such a wonderful. And photograph it was a great old car the background. The course always date the photographs. Always put carney photograph and youll know when it was taken. But i appreciate the picture because my aunt marty who is in the picture was going to give me a copy of mathematics when i graduated from yale. Shes catholic and this started me reading shelby which starting me reading a lot of other people. I did not know it at the time but it really change my life because i began to sense what i wanted to do as a writer. David mccullough is the author of a dozen books printed into some winter of a prize. Hes appeared on book tv more than 50 times. Our look at this program for moral cause continues. With the top host of the Washington Post in 2002. Here he reflects on the Research Conducted for his 1983 book, about the Brooklyn Bridge. David had a lunch with several friends and restaurants in the Lower East Side of washington, new york. The two friends from both engineers they both started talking about all of the builders at the Brooklyn Bridge hadnt known when they set out to create this unprecedented structure. In my first book had been about the johnstown flood which was really a study in human shortsightedness. Someone with irresponsibility. There is a theme to the johnstown book which really it is perilous, certainly extremely dangerous always to assume that because people are in positions of responsibility, they are therefore behaving responsibly did that was the mistake that they were all making and johnstown. At the cost of more than 2000 lives. It was not an act of god, it was the fault of human beings. What happens in life, and certainly happens in publishing, you very quickly typecast after the book came out, had two publishers approached me and wanted me to do a book about chicago fire and the other 11 me to do a book about the San Francisco earthquake. And at the age of about 35, was being casted as bad news mccullough. And d