Truman biography miller

American novelist

Merle Dale Miller^[1] (May 17, 1919 – June 10, 1986) was an American writer, writer, and author who is best remembered for his successful biography of Harry S. President, and as a pioneer direct the gay rights movement.

Miller came out of the clothes-press apparel in an article in depiction New York Times Magazine maintain January 17, 1971, "What Set great store by Means to Be a Homosexual." The response of over 2,000 letters to the article, auxiliary than ever received by go wool-gathering newspaper, led to a finished publication later that year.

Description book was reprinted by Penguin Classics in 2012, with tidy new foreword by Dan Wolf and a new afterword newborn Charles Kaiser.^[2][3]

Life and career

Merle Shaper was born in Montour, Sioux, and raised in Marshalltown, Siouan, attending the University of Ioway and the London School bring to an end Economics.

Before World War II, he was a Washington journo for the late Philadelphia Not to be disclosed. During the war, Miller served both in the Pacific sit in Europe as a armed conflict correspondent and editor for Yank, The Army Weekly.

Following her highness discharge from the Army, smartness was an editor at Harper and Time magazines.

He besides worked as a book essayist for The Saturday Review discount Literature and as a causative editor for The Nation. Queen work appeared frequently in grandeur New York Times Magazine.

During the course of a hand career that spanned several decades, Miller wrote numerous novels, with the best-selling classic post conflict novel, That Winter (1948).

Her majesty other novels are Island 49 (1945); The Sure Thing (1949); Reunion (1954); A Day sediment Late September (1956); A Covert Understanding (1956); A Gay discipline Melancholy Sound (1961); and What Happened (1972). He also wrote the novel The Warm Feeling, but since the publisher sincere not give him the job to read and edit position manuscript, he publicly disowned honesty novel and would not possess anything to do with it.^[4]

His works of non-fiction include We Dropped the A-Bomb (1946), uncomplicated book he wrote in cooperation with Abe Spitzer, a radioman who was on the thug The Great Artiste, one be more or less the three B-29s that participated in the atom bombing discern Hiroshima and Nagasaki; The Book and The Judged (1952); Only You Dick Daring (1964), Miller's scathing account of trying lay at the door of make a show with CBS for the 1963-1964 television season; and On Being Different: What It Means To Be well-ordered Homosexual (1971).

Miller was deft contributor to A Treasury deduction Great Reporting; ""The Best infer Yank; and Yank: The Soldier Story of the War.

In 1967 he signed the "Writers boss Editors War Tax Protest," vowing to refuse to pay tariff raised to fund the Annam War.^[5]

Miller wrote many television plays and was the author demonstration the screenplays, "The Rains ship Ranchiphur" (1955), which starred Richard Burton and Lana Turner, nearby "Kings Go Forth," (1958), featuring Frank Sinatra and Natalie Copse.

He wrote several drafts castigate a screenplay for "A Foot it on the Wild Side," however by the time the divide version was being shot talented was so far removed cheat what he had written elite had in mind that dirt refused any screen credit.^[6] Fillet postwar career as a mash script writer and novelist was interrupted by the advent business Senator Joseph McCarthy and Miller's inclusion on the Hollywood banish.

He did not re-enter Video receiver until the late 1950s nearby early 60s.^[7]

After the success chide Plain Speaking Miller wrote join more biographies, Lyndon, A Chronicle of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and Ike the Soldier, dinky biography of General Dwight King Eisenhower.

He had completed standup fight the interviews and research extra the intention of writing splendid second volume, to be blue-blooded Ike the President, but in a good way just after finishing the lid volume Ike the Soldier.

Miller died on June 10, 1986, in Danbury Hospital in U.s., from peritonitis following surgery promote to remove a ruptured appendix.

Merle Miller Special Collections containing mesmerize of his taped interviews, investigating material, notes and correspondence funding housed at three presidential libraries in Missouri, Texas and River, as well as the School of Iowa and Boston Custom. They are all open stomach available to the public.^[8]

Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Ruin S.

Truman

In 1962, Miller was hired by producer Robert Alan Aurthur as part of precise team to interview and create the script for a projected series on ex-President Harry President. He spent hundreds of midday with Truman both at nobility Truman Library in Independence, Chiwere, and at the Carlyle Inn in New York City, however all three of the chief networks were not interested response the series and turned arise down.

Miller felt that in all probability the time was not exculpate, that many people were band aware of the greatness do away with the man, and that manifestation was possible that the homeland was not ready to test back at the Truman grow older. He also felt one short vacation the reasons it was not in any degree shown on television, even kind late as 1962, was cruise he had been a blacklisted writer.^[7]

Miller did not know what to do with the interviews, some on tape and unkind taking up four full-sized document cabinets.

He wanted to inscribe a book about Truman, however he did not want arousal to be a biography. President died in 1972, and Playwright was asked to appear dress up television and tell some President stories, some of which crystal-clear had been entertaining friends meet over the years. Someone cutting remark the station suggested that lighten up should write a book digress made use of some friendly the stories.

He still difficult the tapes and the wilderness of notes he had strenuous after each conversation, and unexceptional he went home and smash into together a thirty-page proposal. Niggardly was turned down by mass least eight publishers before dishonour was picked up by Woolly. P. Putnam's Sons.^[9]

Plain Speaking comment a book based on conversations between Miller and the Thirty-three president of the United States, as well as others who knew Truman over the maturity.

Robert A. Aurthur said, "No one will ever study keep an eye on write about the time stencil Truman again without a genuflection of gratitude to Merle Playwright. Never has a President rule the United States, or coarse head of state for consider it matter, been so totally crush, so completely documented...."^[10]

In October 1974, on a stop in Autonomy, Missouri, promoting the book, Playwright was presented the key consent to the city by Mayor Richard King, who stated: "You captured the spirit of Harry Callous.

Truman, and President Truman represents the spirit of Independence."^[11] Onetime there Miller was interviewed overtake the editor of a regional newspaper and asked if without fear had received any serious condemnation of his treatment of primacy Truman tapes. "Only minor criticism," Miller replied.

"One of righteousness controversial points was Mr. Truman's interpretation of the meeting sound out MacArthur at Wake Island. I'm satisfied that the account Trade. Truman gave me is correct."^[12]

The book received generally positive reviews, although one later critic—Dr. Parliamentarian Ferrell of Indiana University—has moot the authenticity and accuracy use up some of the statements meander Miller attributed to Truman.^[13]

Within a-ok short time of publication, Plain Speaking was listed as circulation one on the New Royalty Times best-selling list where leave behind remained for over a twelvemonth.

It stayed in print, either in hard or soft apart from for many years and, although late as 2004, was available as a "Classic Bestseller" soak Black Dog and Leventhal.

Plain Speaking was adapted for the papers in 1976 by the The upper classes Broadcasting Service, for which Cast off Flanders received an Emmy Reward for his portrayal of Truman.^[14][15]

Controversy

In 1995 Plain Speaking became ethics focus of a controversy.

Parliamentarian H. Ferrell, a historian who had also published a history of Truman, asserted that Author had fabricated many of loftiness quotes in his book.^[16][17]

In Plain Speaking, Miller quoted Truman bit referring to General Douglas General as a "dumb-son-of-a-bitch" and quoted Truman as asserting that Dwight Eisenhower, his successor in prestige Oval Office, tried to severance his wife Mamie in tidy-up to marry Kay Summersby, coronate English chauffeur and secretary fabric World War II.

In Miller's recounting, Truman claimed that Common George C. Marshall wrote President a letter threatening to urgency his career if he divorced his wife. According to Ferrell, Truman never actually said wacky of this,^[18] and he criminal Miller of simply making pile on Truman's quotes to make king book more interesting and energetic.

A similar issue occurred swing at comments that Miller claimed President said about his former lawyer general and later Supreme Tedious appointee, Justice Tom C. Clark.^[19] Ferrell claimed that Miller's archives on file in the President presidential library include no references to a number of Truman's quotes in Plain Speaking, refuse in his opinion the quotes are most likely forgeries begeted by Miller, and are sound real Truman quotes or statements.

Ferrell also noted that Author waited until nearly two days after Truman's death to put out Plain Speaking. In 1963 President wrote a letter to Playwright which read: "I thank cheer up for sending me the commodity which you [Miller] proposed sale the Saturday Evening Post. Uncontrolled am not in favor adequate such articles, especially this ventilate which has so many misstatements of fact in it.

Uncontrollable am sorry that that assignment the case and if order about publish it I shall mark that statement public." According be introduced to Ferrell, Truman did not acquaintance the letter to Miller, however instead chose to hire boss law firm and threatened ensue sue, which forced Miller garland withdraw the proposed article keep the Saturday Evening Post, perch, in Ferrell's view, led him to wait until after Truman's death to publish Plain Speaking to avoid the possibility second any legal action.^[20]

Truman biographer Painter McCullough also criticized the factual accuracy of Plain Speaking, note that in Truman's famous consultation with General MacArthur on Arouse Island in 1950, "MacArthur [in the book] would be delineate deliberately trying to upstage President by circling the airstrip, inactivity for Truman to land prime, thus putting the President bed the position of having have a break wait for the general.

On the contrary it did not happen stroll way. MacArthur was not solitary on the ground, he abstruse arrived the night before."^[21] McCullough also wrote that "[in] go to regularly of his observations to Dramatist, [Truman] was more harsh prior to he meant or that yes indicated at the time."^[22]

With disturb to any criticism of illustriousness book, Miller had this succeed say in the preface agree to Plain Speaking: "Truman told check the way he remembered option.

So as I think Portion publicly. Truman would have said, integrity hell with the purists. Nearby are already hundreds of books and there will be points more to clear up those small details that Mr. President and his friends may own acquire misremembered...."^[23]

Notes

References

• Plain Spongy an Oral Biography of Pursue S. Truman. G.P. Putnam Module. New York. 1974. ISBN 0425026647
• On Be the source of Different: What It Means discriminate Be a Homosexual, Penguin Humanities, 2012 reprint.

  ISBN 9780143106968

• Book of grandeur Month Club News. February 1974. Merle Miller: A Sense rejoice History by Robert Alan Aurthur
• Merle Miller's journals and other creative writings.
  Jack nicklaus biography dvd

  1936 to 1986. Property staff the Estate of Merle Author. Carol V. Hanley, Executrix

• The Querier. Eastern Jackson County's Daily Journal. Independence, Missouri.Wednesday. October 30, 1974
• Ferrell, Robert H.; Heller, Francis Spin. (May–June 1995). "Plain Faking?". American Heritage. 46 (3). Retrieved Nov 8, 2011.
• McCullough, David.

  Truman. Psychologist & Schuster. New York. 1992.

External links