Dear Harry--

Americans are not shy about letting politicians know what's on their minds, and, in Harry Truman, many believed they had a president they could level with. He even sometimes responded personally to them, especially on subjects he felt strongly about. Today, it seems remarkable that a man who described the presidency as "the most awesome job in the world" would take the time to read and respond to White House mail. But Truman had an unquenchable thirst for what his "everyday Americans" were thinking, yet he distrusted opinion polls.