At the moment of Roosevelt’s death, Truman was presiding over the Senate. Twenty-two minutes after, at 4:57 p.m., the Senate adjourned. Truman headed for what he called his “gold-plated office”—his second office, the traditional office of the vice president (which he rarely used), near the Senate Chamber in the Capitol. When he arrived a phone call was waiting for him from Sam Rayburn, the Speaker of the House.
