Truman Library turns 50

Gifts from heads of state are on display in the exhibit.

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — The Truman Library turns 50 and as part of its golden anniversary celebration, it’s hosting a “Treasures of the Presidents” exhibit, including more than 200 artifacts on loan from other presidential libraries around the country.

The exhibit, on view through Jan. 4, includes Bill Clinton’s saxophone; a three-strand pearl choker made for Millie, the Bushes’ dog; the overcoat worn by Richard Nixon on his historic 1972 visit to China; and a handwritten note from Thomas Jefferson, dated Dec. 29, 1801.

Other items on view range from extravagant gifts from other heads of state, such as a gold vermeil inkwell from King George VI, borrowed from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, N.Y., to eclectic items such as the compass from Ernest Hemingway’s boat, borrowed from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston.

More serious footnotes to history in the collection include tapes of the Kennedy-Nixon debates and the pen used to make Germany’s surrender official in World War II.

The library also showcases memorabilia from the Truman administration, including the president’s famous “The BUCK STOPS here” sign.

Who Truman was

Truman was vice president under President Roosevelt and became president when FDR died in April 1945.

Truman authorized the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. He was re-elected for another term after his famous “Whistlestop” campaign tour around the country.

Truman and his wife, Bess, are buried in the courtyard.

About 100,000 people visit each year.

The library is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission for adults is $7, but through Labor Day, the site is also open Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m. with free admission. For more information, visit www.trumanlibrary.org or call (800) 833-1225.

Independence is also home to other Truman sites, including Clinton’s Soda Fountain, 100 W. Maple, site of the teenage Harry’s first job, and the house where he lived with his wife both before and after the White House, at 219 N. Delaware. For more information, call (800) 748-7323 or visit www.visitindependence.com.