1947 Alleged Truman Assassination Attempt

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Unredacted copies of any and all records pertaining to an alleged 1947 assassination attempt(s) against President Truman and/or other White House personnel by means of letter and/or parcel bombs. My request is for all responsive records including, but not limited to, contemporaneous records, logs, reports, and analyses along with later historical accounts, summaries, reports, reviews, and/or training documents.

In order to assist in the location of these records I am providing the following information: It is alleged in " 'Dear Mr. President . . .' The Story of Fifty Years in the White House Mail Room" (New York: J. Messner, 1949) by Ira R. T. Smith that in the context of "controversy ... including the Palestine question" in the summer of 1947 someone sent President Truman letter bombs "intended to kill" (see pp. 229-230). These allegations are repeated in a book by Truman's daughter, Margaret Truman Daniel titled "Harry S. Truman" (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1973) where the alleged bombs are attributed to Jewish terrorists, specifically the "so‐called Stern gang" (also known as Lohamei Herut Israel or Lehi), based in Mandatory Palestine (see pp. 489-490). The allegations, citing Truman Daniel, also appear in an endnote (see n. 11, p. 331) in "Political Assassinations by Jews: A Rhetorical Device for Justice" by Nachman Ben-Yehuda (Albany: SUNY Pr., 1993). I cannot confirm the accuracy of these accounts and, thus, they should not be grounds for narrowing the scope of your agency's records search.

The requested records will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes. I am an independent researcher and writer. My previous work on the subject of US-Israeli foreign relations led to the adoption of a resolution, which I authored, at the American Legion's 2017 national convention. That resolution is published on pages 124-5 of US House of Representatives Document 115–91 and my work was featured in the August 30, 2017, print and online edition of "Seattle Weekly". I request a fee waiver.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance if they exceed $25.00. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.

I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Michelle Kinnucan