Harry S. Truman

==== Scandals and controversies ====
[[File:Harry S Truman - NARA - 530677 (2).jpg|thumb|Truman in an official portrait]]

In 1950, the Senate, led by [[Estes Kefauver]], investigated numerous charges of corruption among senior administration officials, some of whom received fur coats and deep freezers in exchange for favors. A large number of employees of the [[Internal Revenue Service|Internal Revenue Bureau]] (today the IRS) were accepting bribes; 166&nbsp;employees either resigned or were fired in 1950,{{sfn|Smaltz|1998}} with many soon facing indictment. When Attorney General [[J. Howard McGrath]] fired the special prosecutor in early 1952 for being too zealous, Truman fired McGrath.{{sfn|Smaltz|1996}} Truman submitted a reorganization plan to reform the IRB; Congress passed it, but corruption was a major issue in the 1952 presidential election.{{sfn|McCoy|1984|p=299}}{{sfn|Donovan|1983|pp=116–117}}

On December 6, 1950, ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'' music critic [[Paul Hume (music critic)|Paul Hume]] wrote a critical review of a concert by the president's daughter Margaret Truman:

{{Blockquote|Miss Truman is a unique American phenomenon with a pleasant voice of little size and fair quality&nbsp;... [she] cannot sing very well&nbsp;... is flat a good deal of the time—more last night than at any time we have heard her in past years&nbsp;... has not improved in the years we have heard her&nbsp;... [and] still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish.{{sfn|Truman Library, FAQ|1950}}}}

Truman wrote a scathing response:

{{Blockquote|I've just read your lousy review of Margaret's concert. I've come to the conclusion that you are an 'eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay.' It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-cock as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you're off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work. Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! [[Westbrook Pegler|Pegler]], a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you'll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry.{{sfn|Truman Library, FAQ|1950}}}}

Truman was criticized by many for the letter. However, he pointed out that he wrote it as a loving father and not as the president.{{sfn|Barnes|2008}}{{sfn|Giglio|2001|p=112}}{{sfn|Smith|2001}}

In 1951, [[William M. Boyle]], Truman's longtime friend and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was forced to resign after being charged with financial corruption.<ref>Eleonora W. Schoenebaum, ed. ''Political Profiles: The Truman Years'' (1978) pp. 48–49.</ref>