RELAXED PRESIDENT, at his news conference in Key West, one of the few preserved in full color (opposite page), sat on the palm-shaded lawn of the tropical "White House" and told reporters history will judge his administration, as it had Jefferson's and Lincoln's. Meanwhile, he insisted, his people are honorable men.
SEASON IN THE SUN
Three weeks at Key West naval base does as much for White House press and staff as for President
No ruler or chief executive of any country in the world is as thoroughly and consistently covered by the press as the President of the U.S. About a dozen reporters do full-time duty at the White House and often more than 200 show up for his weekly press conference. Harry Truman keeps the regulars very busy, starting to make news at 7 :00 a.m. when he goes for his walk, and keeps at it until well past midnight. Eventually, however, even he tires and gets snappish, and his doctor urges him to get away from it all. Then Truman collects what he calls his "circus" about him-his staff and the newsmen-and they all fly down to Key West. President and staff take over the pleasant, white-jalousied commandant's house on the naval base, complete with private beach and green baize table for poker. This winter, when he went to Key West, 29 reporters, photographers and radio men went along.
Although the President can never get away entirely from his executive duties and even in Key West must sign his name to some 600 documents every day, he tries to make little news while on vacation. Reporters are reduced to writing about what color trunks the President wore when he went to the beach. This year there was only one full-blown press conference in Key West, held under the palms on Truman's lawn (opposite page). Otherwise, the only news flurries at Key West came when Charles E. Wilson and Eric Johnston flew down to talk over labor's national defense, walkout. Under prearranged news "lids," by which the White House agrees that no important news will be made or released for a specified period or without full warning, the press had plenty of time to refresh itself. Newspapermen fished, swam, played tennis, enjoyed tall drinks at the base's "Echoasis," watched cockfights and a strip tease called the "marijuana dance." They ate such Key West specialties as green turtle steaks and Key lime pie. Obviously it was too good to last and it didn't. Three days earlier than he had planned, Truman decided he had had enough of Key West. He flew hack to Washington to spend Easter with his family.
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RELAXED REPORTERS hang over the porch railing outside the naval base's bachelor officers quarters, waiting for something to turn up, maybe even news.
UNDER SPREADING PLAM TREES PRESIDENT MEETS THE PRESS. HERE IS A GUIDE TO PICTURE ON OPPOSITE PAGE
Interviewing Truman at Key West press conference are: 1-Vera Clay, Newsweek. 2-Leon S. Wellstone, State Department reporter. 3- Jack Doherty, New York Daily News. 4-Ernest Barcella, U.P. S-Ernest Vaccaro, A.P. 6-Robert Nixon, LN.S. 7-the President. 8-Jack Romagna, Truman’s stenographer. 9-Edwin Darby, TIME and LIFE. 10-Don Taft, Miami Herald. 11-Anthony Leviero, New York Times. 12-William Flythe, Hearst Newspapers. 13-John Spottswood, Key West's WKWF. 14-Jeannette Barclay, Key West Citizen. 15-Harold Stetler, ABC. 16-Richard Harkness, NBC. 17-Carolyn Workman, Cincinnati Times-Star. 18-Bert Andrews, New York Herald Tribune.
In rear are Truman's staff and friends: 19-Captain Harvard Dudley, Signal Corps. 2O-Stanley Woodward, Ambassador to Canada. 21-Roger Tubby, assistant press aide. 22-Chief Yeoman C. J. Langello, stenographic assistant. 23- John R. Steelman, assistant to the President. 24-Captain C. C. Adell, base commander. 25-Charles Murphy, special counsel to Truman. 26-Joseph Feeney, legislative liaison. 27- William Hassett, correspondence secretary. 28-Joseph Short, press secretary. 29-Rear Admiral Robert Dennison, naval aide. 30-Brig. General Robert Landry, Air Force aide.
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