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Merle Dale Miller (May 17, 1919 – June 10, 1986) was an American writer, novelist, and author who is perhaps best remembered for his best-selling biography of
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
, and as a pioneer in the
gay rights movement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...
. Miller came out of the closet in an article in the ''New York Times Magazine'' on January 17, 1971, "What It Means to Be a Homosexual." The response of over 2,000 letters to the article, more than ever received by that newspaper, led to a book publication later that year. The book was reprinted by Penguin Classics in 2012, with a new foreword by
Dan Savage Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBT community activist. He writes ''Savage Love'', an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husba ...
and a new afterword by Charles Kaiser.


Life and career

Merle Miller was born in Montour, Iowa, and raised in
Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...
, attending the University of Iowa and the London School of Economics. Before World War II, he was a Washington correspondent for the late Philadelphia Record. During the war, Miller served both in the Pacific and in Europe as a war correspondent and editor for ''
Yank, The Army Weekly ''Yank, the Army Weekly'' was a weekly magazine published by the United States military during World War II. History The idea for the magazine came from Egbert White, who had worked on the newspaper Stars and Stripes during World War I. He ...
''. Following his discharge from the Army, he was editor of both ''Harper'' and ''Time'' magazines. He also worked as a book reviewer for ''The Saturday Review of Literature'' and as a contributing editor for ''The Nation''. His work appeared frequently in the ''New York Times Magazine''. During the course of a writing career that spanned several decades, Miller wrote numerous novels, including the best-selling classic post war novel, ''That Winter'' (1948). His other novels are ''Island 49'' (1945); ''The Sure Thing'' (1949); ''Reunion'' (1954); ''A Day in Late September'' (1956); ''A Secret Understanding'' (1956); ''A Gay and Melancholy Sound'' (1961); and ''What Happened'' (1972). He also wrote the novel ''The Warm Feeling'', but since the publisher did not give him the opportunity to read and edit the manuscript, he publicly disowned the novel and would not have anything to do with it. His works of non-fiction include ''We Dropped the A-Bomb'' (1946), a book he wrote in collaboration with Abe Spitzer, a radioman who was on the bomber
The Great Artiste ''The Great Artiste'' was a U.S. Army Air Forces Silverplate B-29 bomber (B-29-40-MO 44-27353, Victor number 89), assigned to the 393d Bomb Squadron, 509th Composite Group. The aircraft was named for its bombardier, Captain Kermit Beahan, ...
, one of the three B-29s that dropped the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; ''The Judges and The Judged'' (1952); ''Only You Dick Daring'' (1964), Miller's scathing account of trying to make a show with CBS for the 1963-1964 television season; and ''On Being Different: What It Means To Be a Homosexual'' (1971). Miller was a contributor to ''A Treasury of Great Reporting''; ""The Best of Yank''; and ''Yank: The GI Story of the War''. In 1967 he signed the "
Writers and Editors War Tax Protest Tax resistance, the practice of refusing to pay taxes that are considered unjust, has probably existed ever since rulers began imposing taxes on their subjects. It has been suggested that tax resistance played a significant role in the collapse of ...
," vowing to refuse to pay taxes raised to fund the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
. Miller wrote many television plays and was the author of the screenplays, "The Rains of Ranchiphur" (1955), which starred
Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable ...
and
Lana Turner Lana Turner ( ; born Julia Jean Turner; February 8, 1921June 29, 1995) was an American actress. Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized per ...
, and "Kings Go Forth," (1958), featuring
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...
and
Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...
. He wrote several drafts of a screenplay for "A Walk on the Wild Side," but by the time the screen version was being shot it was so far removed from what he had written or had in mind that he refused any screen credit. His postwar career as a television script writer and novelist was interrupted by the advent of Senator Joseph McCarthy and Miller's inclusion on the "Blacklist." He did not re-enter TV until the late 1950s and early 60s. After the success of ''Plain Speaking'' Miller wrote two more biographies, ''Lyndon, A Biography of President Lyndon Baines Johnson'', and ''Ike the Soldier'', a biography of General Dwight David Eisenhower. He had completed all the interviews and research with the intention of writing a second volume, to be titled ''Ike the President'', but died just after finishing the first volume Ike the Soldier. Miller died on June 10, 1986, in Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, from peritonitis following surgery to remove a ruptured appendix. Merle Miller Special Collections containing all of his taped interviews, research material, notes and correspondence are housed at three presidential libraries in Missouri, Texas and Kansas, as well as the University of Iowa and Boston University. They are all open and available to the public.


''Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman''

In 1962, Miller was hired by producer
Robert Alan Aurthur Robert Alan Aurthur (June 10, 1922 – November 20, 1978) was an American screenwriter, film director, and film producer. Many of his works examined race relations and featured black actor and director Sidney Poitier. Early life Raised in Freep ...
as part of a team to interview and write the script for a proposed series on ex-President
Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
. He spent hundreds of hours with Truman both at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri, and at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, but all three of the major networks were not interested in the series and turned it down. Miller felt that perhaps the time was not right, that many people were not aware of the greatness of the man, and that it was possible that the country was not ready to look back at the Truman years. He also felt one of the reasons it was never shown on television, even as late as 1962, was that he had been a blacklisted writer."Sex and Power in High Places. Merle Miller Speaks Out" by John Mitzel. Gay Community News. Vol. 4. No. 42. April 16, 1977. Miller did not know what to do with the interviews, some on tape and some taking up four full-sized file cabinets. He wanted to write a book about Truman, but he did not want it to be a biography. Truman died in 1972, and Miller was asked to appear on television and tell some Truman stories, some of which he had been entertaining friends with over the years. Someone at the station suggested that he should write a book that made use of some of the stories. He still had the tapes and the mountains of notes he had made after each conversation, and so he went home and put together a thirty-page proposal. It was turned down by at least eight publishers before it was picked up by G. P. Putnam's Sons. ''Plain Speaking'' is a book based on conversations between Miller and the 33rd president of the United States, as well as others who knew Truman over the years. Robert A. Aurthur said, "No one will ever study or write about the time of Truman again without a bow of gratitude to Merle Miller. Never has a President of the United States, or any head of state for that matter, been so totally revealed, so completely documented...." In October 1974, on a stop in
Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...
, promoting the book, Miller was presented the key to the city by Mayor Richard King, who stated: "You captured the spirit of Harry S. Truman, and President Truman represents the spirit of Independence." While there Miller was interviewed by the editor of a local newspaper and asked if he had received any serious criticism of his treatment of the Truman tapes. "Only minor criticism," Miller replied. "One of the controversial points was Mr. Truman's interpretation of the meeting with MacArthur at Wake Island. I'm satisfied that the account Mr. Truman gave me is correct." The book received generally positive reviews, although one later critic—Dr. Robert Ferrell of Indiana University—has questioned the authenticity and accuracy of some of the statements that Miller attributed to Truman. Within a short time of publication, ''Plain Speaking'' was listed as number one on the New York Times best-selling list where it remained for over a year. It stayed in print, either in hard or soft cover for many years and, as late as 2004, was published as a "Classic Bestseller" by Black Dog and Leventhal. ''Plain Speaking'' was adapted for television in 1976 by the
Public Broadcasting Service The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...
, for which
Ed Flanders Edward Paul Flanders (December 29, 1934 – February 22, 1995) was an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Donald Westphall in the medical drama series ''St. Elsewhere'' (1982–1988). Flanders was nominated for eight Primetime Em ...
received an
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for his portrayal of Truman.


Controversy

In 1995 ''Plain Speaking'' became the focus of a controversy. Robert H. Ferrell, a historian who had also published a biography of Truman, asserted that Miller had fabricated many of the quotes in his book. In ''Plain Speaking,'' Miller quoted Truman as referring to General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...
as a "dumb-son-of-a-bitch" and quoted Truman as asserting that
Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
, his successor in the
Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...
, tried to divorce his wife Mamie in order to marry
Kay Summersby Kathleen Helen Summersby (née MacCarthy-Morrogh; 23 November 1908 – 20 January 1975), known as Kay Summersby, was a member of the British Mechanised Transport Corps during World War II, who served as a chauffeur and later as persona ...
, his English chauffeur and secretary during World War II. In Miller's recounting, Truman claimed that General
George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...
wrote Eisenhower a letter threatening to ruin his career if he divorced his wife. According to Ferrell, Truman never actually said any of this, and he accused Miller of simply making up Truman's quotes to make his book more interesting and lively. A similar issue occurred with comments that Miller claimed Truman said about his former attorney general and later Supreme Court appointee, Justice Tom C. Clark. Ferrell claimed that Miller's papers on file in the Truman presidential library include no references to a number of Truman's quotes in ''Plain Speaking'', and in his opinion the quotes are most likely forgeries created by Miller, and are not real Truman quotes or statements. Ferrell also noted that Miller waited until nearly two years after Truman's death to publish ''Plain Speaking''. In 1963 Truman wrote a letter to Miller which read: "I thank you for sending me the article which you
iller The Iller (; ancient name Ilargus) is a river of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is a right tributary of the Danube, long. It is formed at the confluence of the rivers Breitach, Stillach and Trettach near Oberstdorf in the Allgä ...
proposed for the ''Saturday Evening Post''. I am not in favor of such articles, especially this one which has so many misstatements of fact in it. I am sorry that that is the case and if you publish it I shall make that statement public." According to Ferrell, Truman did not mail the letter to Miller, but instead chose to hire a law firm and threatened to sue, which forced Miller to withdraw the proposed article for the ''Saturday Evening Post'', and, in Ferrell's view, led him to wait until after Truman's death to publish ''Plain Speaking'' to avoid the possibility of any legal action. Truman biographer
David McCullough David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...
also criticized the historical accuracy of ''Plain Speaking,'' noting that in Truman's famous meeting with General MacArthur on Wake Island in 1950, "MacArthur n the bookwould be pictured deliberately trying to upstage Truman by circling the airstrip, waiting for Truman to land first, thus putting the President in the position of having to wait for the general. But it did not happen that way. MacArthur was not only on the ground, he had arrived the night before." McCullough also wrote that " nmany of his observations to Miller,
ruman Ruman may refer to: * Ruman (surname) * Ruman Ahmed, Bangladeshi cricketer *Operation RUMAN Operation Ruman was the British government's combined military and humanitarian operations in September 2017 to provide relief to the British Overseas Ter ...
was more harsh than he meant or that he indicated at the time." With regard to any criticism of the book, Miller had this to say in the preface to ''Plain Speaking'': "Truman told it the way he remembered it. So as I think Mr. Truman would have said, the hell with the purists. There are already hundreds of books and there will be hundreds more to clear up those small details that Mr. Truman and his friends may have misremembered...."Preface to ''Plain Speaking'' by Merle Miller. P. 18.


Notes


References

* ''Plain Speaking an Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman''. G.P. Putnam Sons. New York. 1974. *''On Being Different: What It Means to Be a Homosexual'', Penguin Classics, 2012 reprint. * Book of the Month Club News. February 1974. Merle Miller: A Sense of History by
Robert Alan Aurthur Robert Alan Aurthur (June 10, 1922 – November 20, 1978) was an American screenwriter, film director, and film producer. Many of his works examined race relations and featured black actor and director Sidney Poitier. Early life Raised in Freep ...
* Merle Miller's journals and other writings. 1936 to 1986. Property of the Estate of Merle Miller. Carol V. Hanley, Executrix * The Examiner. Eastern Jackson County's Daily Newspaper. Independence, Missouri.Wednesday. October 30, 1974 * *McCullough, David. ''Truman.'' Simon & Schuster. New York. 1992.


External links

*Harry S. Truman Library
Merle Miller Papers.
*University of Iowa Library Manuscript Register

* Boston University Special Collections. Archival Research Center
Merle Miller Papers.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Merle 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American memoirists American tax resisters Novelists from Iowa People from Danbury, Connecticut Alumni of the London School of Economics 1919 births 1986 deaths People from Marshalltown, Iowa American LGBT novelists American male biographers 20th-century American male writers LGBT people from Iowa 20th-century LGBT people