Letter from Mrs. Phillip Soliday to President Harry S. Truman, with Reply from Joseph Short

[handwritten; circle around number] 50. Misc. Reconstruction M April 23, 1952 Dear Mrs. Soliday: I have been asked to reply to your letter of a March thirty-first regarding the renovation of the White House. I think you should know that the President had no responsibility for either the cost or the nature of the remodeling. By Act of Congress, this responsibility was vested in a Commission composed mostly of members of Congress who made recommendations to Congress for the work and obtained the necessary appropriations. Incidentally, the cost was not seven million dollars. It was $5,761,000. All of the work was done by contract after solicitation of bids. [handwritten; right margin] x526 The work, necessitated by the crumbling of foundations which could have at any minute collapsed all of the floors in the White House, consisted of removing the entire house inside of the outside walls, and building an entirely new house inside the old walls. The Commission decided to preserve the old walls for sentimental reasons. [handwritten; right margin] x50 - Misc. Sincerely yours, JOSEPH SHORT Secretary to the President Mrs. Phillip D. Soliday, [underlined] Soy Bean Acres, Vermillion, South Dakota. IP/gz [letterhead] The Phil Solidays Soy Bean Acres Vermillion, S. D. Monday March 31, 1952 [handwritten] 4-3-52 Dear Mr. Truman After reading yesterday's paper regarding the remodeling cost of the White House, I have a few questions to ask you. Can you tell me just how you could spend 7 million dollars to remodel something that was already built? I realize that the cost of living has gone up since it was originally built (for $333,000), but 7 million dollars, that's alot of money. As a taxpayer, I'm interested in knowing where my money is going and I'd like to know why the cost was so high. I'd also like to know whether any of the work was done by Government [letterhead] The Phil Solidays Soy Bean Acres Vermillion, S. D. 2. or a private contractor. It is not my desire to find fault with this administration of funds as a good American I think the White House should be kept in perfect condition so that when the United States entertains dignitaries from other nations we can be proud of our executive mansion. But as a housewife who budgets her funds I was wondering there couldn't have been some budgeting in this case. Never having been in the executive mansion may account for my inability to understand how you could spend 7 million dollars. Perhaps, I am unable to visualize the splendor that must be maintained. Yours truly, Mrs. Phillip D. Soliday