
Indeed, the slogan “The Buck Stops Here,” is the one most
commonly associated with Truman. He had
a desk sign which said just that. The sign
was made at the federal penitentiary at El Reno, Oklahoma, and was given to him
in 1945.
The idea that Truman expressed in this plaque was echoed in
a different, but similar, way by President Kennedy in the aftermath of the Bay
of Pigs fiasco. At a news conference in
1961 he remarked, “There’s an old saying that victory has 100 fathers and
defeat is an orphan.”
Understanding that
the buck stopped with him for the ill-fated adventure, he added, “Further
statements, detailed discussions, are not to conceal responsibility because I’m
the responsible officer of the Government.”
Truman and Kennedy articulated a good reminder for any
president.
Here’s my copy of the famous sign, which was obtained at the
Truman Library a number of years ago.
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