Volunteers inventory outtakes of Truman documentary

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In the 18,000 film and audio clips, kept in as many as 2,600 metal film cans, there are hidden moments that detail a side of Harry S. Truman most have never seen.

A handful of volunteers at Truman's presidential library in suburban Independence are among the few. They have been sifting through the material for years so that researchers, historians and others can have a fuller picture of the only president from Missouri.

"Everybody knows the big story about Truman," said Mary Redmon, one of the volunteers. "We look for the little things, the personal things that are generally not known."

The film and sound recordings are from a 26-part documentary that was broadcast in 1964. It's mostly outtakes from the film about Truman's administration, black-and-white footage of the former president, who was in his late 70s when the documentary was recorded.

Ray Geselbracht, a museum archivist, said the collection of 35mm film, 16mm film and some quarter-inch audiotapes may be unique among presidential libraries. It includes film with sound, film without sound and fragments of soundtrack featuring Truman talking.

For years, the film was untouched, in part because of the huge cost of reviewing and cataloging its content.

So Geselbracht came up with the idea of asking volunteers to sift through the film cans, looking for significant moments. It's a process that started in 1989 and has resulted in the release of about 92 minutes of film and 15 hours of audiotape.

Highlights include an awkward moment recorded on audiotape as Truman choked up when asked to read a letter he had written to his mother. Another is a joke made after he made a mildly disparaging comment about former Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser.

"That won't help diplomatic relations," Truman quips.

Truman often is seen swaying in a rocking chair while telling an enjoyable anecdote. He also demonstrates endless patience, even after multiple retakes.

"He's just a good, down-to-earth man," volunteer Frank Coogan said. "He didn't seem to have any airs about him. Just an old boy from Independence and proud of it."

Geselbracht hopes to complete the review by 2007. So far, the volunteers have not uncovered a bombshell about the Truman administration, instead finding moments that illuminate the former president's personality.

"The collection reveals Truman in ways that are not fully reflected in the historical literature," Geselbracht said. "I frequently see new things."