re: #97 sagehen

Harry Truman was very angry about the Washington Post’s coverage of his daughter. To retaliate… he cancelled his subscription.

Margaret Truman Daniel

At the beginning of her career, critical reviews of Truman’s singing were positive or diplomatic in tone, with one later reviewer speculating that negative opinions were held back out of deference for her father as a current sitting United States President. This practice was broken in 1950 when Washington Post music critic Paul Hume wrote that Truman was “extremely attractive on the stage… [but] cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time. And still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish.” The review angered President Truman who wrote to Hume, “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!”