Following the firing of General MacArthur, President Truman and former President Hoover had something else in common. They both left the White House despised by much of the country.
Truman, after deciding to forego a run for the Democratic nomination in 1952, left the White House in 1953. He enlisted Hoover to help raise funds for a costly Presidential Museum. Hoover excelled at raising funds for the Truman Presidential Library and Museum, eventually attending the opening ceremony. Hoover and Truman would both live long enough to also see Hoover’s Library and Museum be constructed in West Branch, IA.
Hoover Museum opening:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6XmS88CPV4&w=500&h=315]
Truman Museum opening:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF_poqqWNhw&w=500&h=315]
The relationship between the two former Presidents ended on October 20, 1964. On that day, Truman learned his long-time friend Herbert Hoover had passed away. Upon learning of his old friend’s death, Truman sent this telegram to Hoover’s son.
What impact do Presidential Museums and Libraries have on presidents’ legacies?