We lived in Independence, across the street and about three or four houses down from the Truman House. Although my folks had never met the Truman's, they knew of him because of his haberdashery on Main Street in Kansas City. Also, when he was a County Judge and later a Senator. My Mother was against smoking, so after dinner my Dad would take a walk while smoking a cigar.

  Early one evening, as he was walking back toward his house, he got in front of Harry's house---but across the street from it. That area had a white stone fence about three feet high around the terraces of the homes. My Dad stopped and sat on the wall while finishing his cigar.

  In a few minutes, a couple of young men, dressed in dark blue suites came across the street. They told my dad he couldn't sit there. He said he didn't understand why, he just lived down the street and did this most every night. They asked him if he knew who lived across the street? He said, yes, it's Harry and Bess's home. They said that he was right. but now it was the Vice President's home and he'd have to move on. With that they took out gold badges. He said it was kind of silly, but he gave no argument, got up, walked home, and never sat there again.