The spotlight did not appeal to Bess Truman. "She would return home to Independence as often as possible, leaving the President feeling very alone, often desolate," says historian David McCullough.

President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess Truman wave from in front of the White House to crowds gathered in Lafayette ...

The Truman Library also cites some of Truman's letters to his future wife Bess Wallace, during which he confessed to having "the big head terribly" and warned her that he'd forever ...