7. Harry S. Truman Was One Cheeky Fellow:
Truman was set to take a trip to South America, and a group of reporters were coming with him. One of them, Tony Vaccaro, who happened to be deathly afraid of needles was very relieved that he did not have to get a painful yellow fever shot. When Truman found out about Vaccaro’s fear, he decided to have a little fun.
Truman instructed a White House physician to notify Vaccaro that the policy had changed, and the shots were mandatory. A panicked Vaccaro, was pushed into a clinic room while screaming, “I don’t believe in shots!” When Vaccaro entered the office, he saw a giant hypodermic needle, the size a veterinarian would use on a horse. Vaccaro was terrified, but was turned to accept his worst nightmare and be stabbed in the buttocks for a job he had to do. The “doctor” then entered and told Vaccaro, “This won’t hurt a bit, Tony.” Vaccaro immediately recognized the President’s voice.
“Mr. President,” he said, feeling great relief (and presumably with his pants still down), “I do not usually greet Presidents of the United States from this position.”
