During Truman’s regular press conference on May 2, a reporter put forward the question: “Mr. President, would you care to comment on the death of Adolf Hitler reported, or Mussolini?” “Well, of course, the two principal war criminals will not have to come to trial,” Truman said, the room jammed as usual. “And I am very happy they are out of the way.” “Well, does that mean, sir, that we know officially that Hitler is dead?” “Yes . . . We have the best—on the best authority possible to obtain at this time that Hitler is dead. But how he died we are not—we
