Whenever I try to think of my favorite president, as one does, I'm always stumped. If it weren't for those two atomic bombs, I'd pick Harry Truman in a heartbeat. Which is why I was a little affronted by this snippet from a mental_floss quiz:
"By his own estimation, the $600,000 he grossed for the work [his memoirs] netted just $37,000 in profit after office and personnel expenses (which added up to $153,000) and taxes. The 67 percent bite the government took could have been eased by President Eisenhower, who had the option to deem the work exempt from federal and state taxes and treated as a capital gain, as Truman was not an author by trade. Truman had done as much for Eisenhower when his World War II memoir was published during Truman's presidency. Truman's appeal for reciprocity drew no response from the White House, a manifestation of the chill between the two men that would last throughout the Eisenhower years."
Emphasis mine. Poor Harry.
mental_floss: Second Acts: The Post-White House Lives of Past Presidents
8.31.2009
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