[Ads-l] Restricted access to "Stars and Stripes" and "The buck stops here"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

It is conceivable that some company was making signs with the motto in
the 1930s, but I have not seen any advertisements in that early time
period.

Ralph Keyes in "The Quote Verifier" (Page 18) indicated that the sign
on Truman's desk was not purchased; instead, it was custom made and
based on another sign.

 [Begin excerpt]
"The BUCK stops here." This comment is so associated with Harry Truman
that it's easy to conclude the words came straight from his mouth.
They didn't. Early in Truman's presidency, a friend of his saw a sign
on the desk of an Oklahoma prison warden that read, THE BUCK STOPS
HERE. This friend had a replica made for the president and gave it to
him in October 1945. Truman displayed this sign on his desk off and on
for most of his presidency, and sometimes referred to it in speeches.
. .
[End excerpt]

I think A. B. Warfield was in a position in the military supply chain
where he could request the construction of a custom inscribed sign,
but I am not sure.

If you find any evidence of signs of this type for sale in the 1930s
please let me know.

Best wishes,
Garson


On Tue, Feb 10, 2015 at 11:34 AM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Restricted access to "Stars and Stripes" and "The buck stops
>               here"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>> perhaps office supply or novelty shops came up with these signs.
>
> That has long been my conjecture - based on my possibly erroneous
> interpretation of the sign mentioned in the magazine, but I haven't found
> any evidence to support it.
>
> Was Truman's sign custom-made?
>
> JL
>
> On Tue, Feb 10, 2015 at 10:45 AM, Baker, John <JBAKER at stradley.com> wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       "Baker, John" <JBAKER at STRADLEY.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: Restricted access to "Stars and Stripes" and "The buck
>> stops
>>               here"
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Garson, all of the early uses of "The buck stops here" are to desk signs
>> th=
>> at say that.  The earliest references say that Brigadier General A. B.
>> Warf=
>> ield had such a sign, and you suggest that he is the leading candidate for
>> =
>> crafter of the expression.  Do you think the signs were all custom-made?
>> I=
>> 'm wondering if perhaps office supply or novelty shops came up with these
>> s=
>> igns. =20
>>
>>
>> John Baker
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>> Of=
>>  ADSGarson O'Toole
>> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2015 12:49 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Restricted access to "Stars and Stripes" and "The buck stops here"
>>
>> While preparing a website entry about the saying "The buck stops here"
>> I noticed a match in the "Stars and Stripes" in the NewspaperArchive
>> database. Unfortunately, additional detailed information about the
>> match was blocked, and the following message was displayed:
>>
>> [Begin message]
>> This content has restricted access at the request of a rights holder
>> [End message]
>>
>> Below is the partial information that subscribers to the
>> NewspaperArchive database are shown:
>>
>> Newspaper: Washington Stars and Stripes
>> Date: Sat, May 23, 1942
>> Location: Washington, District Of Columbia
>> Database: NewspaperArchive
>>
>> [Begin raw OCR match text]
>> they get around to awarding a Sympathy Medal, 1st Lt. Joseph A.
>> Dooley. Quartermaster Corps, should lead the parade for citations. On
>> his desk a sign reads: . The Buck Stops Here." ^ Aid ' Measure s |
>> Awaits Vote Biggest Convoy of War Arrives as Troops Pour into Ireland
>> Tank Units WASHINGTO
>> [End raw OCR match text]
>>
>> Does someone have access to the full newspaper page image for this
>> citation=
>> ?
>>
>> There is now an entry on the Quote Investigator website on this "The
>> Buck Stops Here". At this time, the citation from the "Stars and
>> Stripes" has been omitted:
>> http://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/02/07/buck-stops/
>>
>> Thanks for any help you can provide,
>> Garson
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
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