Comments on: Polaroid – Harry S. Truman – Independence, Missouri circa 1970

By: Avinash Machado

Avinash Machado — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:52:18 +0000

Great photo. Truman left office with low approval ratings, but today historians rank him as one of the best Presidents.

By: Jeff Krause

Jeff Krause — Tue, 17 May 2011 06:24:11 +0000

Hi–this is a very interesting photograph! Truman’s appearance changed quite a bit in the last few years of his life (even beyond the horn-rimmed spectacles that replaced the wire-rimmed ones he was best known for). One point I should make in light of the comments on your polaroid, though is that Harry Truman was 88 years old at the time of his death in 1972, and thus would have been around 85 or 86 at the time that your father’s picture was taken. Thanks for the interesting old polaroid image!

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:17:56 +0000

George, – thanks! Interesting information. The Internet is amazing

By: George Gordon

George Gordon — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:12:33 +0000

Hello Rob,

I have some information for you. My current Director of the Alpharetta Dept. of Public Safety (GA), statrted as a police officer in Independence MO. in 1970. He says the gentlemen in the picture with Mr. Truman was police Lt. Mike Westwood. Former President Truman hated to have the secret service agents around. He would order them to keep a far distance from himself at all times. They actually had to use the house across the street to watch over him. The officer in Independence in 1970 went on the become their police chief 30+ years later.

I hope this helps. Mr. Truman was 91 years of age in your photo.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:24:53 +0000

Mike – very cool. Thanks for confirming that.

Rob

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:58:30 +0000

The other man is indeed Mike Westwood. He was my step-father.

By: rob

rob — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:54:15 +0000

@Abed – would love to see it – rob at lagesse.org – Thanks!

By: Abed

Abed — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:22:48 +0000

I was looking up photos of past ex presidents and came across this photo of Truman. Amazing photo and story. I noticed the lens specs and overexposed lower left of the photo and decided to download your photo and clean it up with my PhotoShop program. I was bored. I hope you don’t mind. But it looks good. Don’t know if this comment will reach you, but if you would like me to send the cleaned up version of the photo, email me with your address and i’d be happy to send it. All the best.

By: rob

rob — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:31:58 +0000

@Matt – I don’t have the autographed version – my father has it in Arkansas. As chance has it though, I head to Arkansas to visit him tomorrow morning. I’ll see if he will either give it to me to send to the library, or let me borrow it to do a hi-res scan.

By: Matt Warman

Matt Warman — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 06:32:33 +0000

The first time I was on this site and clicked on the pic it wouldnt do anything. Now it does, weird. I also got your email. Thanks.
I think the other man in the photograph is Mike Westwood
who worked for the Independence Police Department and chauffered the President and acted as a body guard for him (even after the secret service came into the picture in 1964). Can you post a copy of the autographed version of the picture?

By: rob

rob — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:33:34 +0000

@Matt – did you click on the picture? There is a higher res version if you do.

By: Matt Warman

Matt Warman — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:30:37 +0000

Id love to see a hi res scan of this pic. I cant see it very well on the net. Its actually very interesting. There aren’t a whole lot of pictures of President Truman in the last year or 2 of his life.
Thanks!

By: STUFFLEUFAGUS » Update - Harry Truman Polaroid

STUFFLEUFAGUS » Update - Harry Truman Polaroid — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:48:38 +0000

[...] Polaroid – Harry S. Truman – Independence, Missouri circa 1970 [...]

By: rob

rob — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:27:25 +0000

I’ll also put an extremely high resolution link to the photo online later in the week. The scan produced an image that was too large for WordPress to handle. Once I get it online I’ll put the link here in these comments.