Rayburn worked his magic behind the scenes

A White House errand boy delivered a handwritten message from the President to the Speaker of the House on May 10, 1949. Sam Rayburn left the floor earlier in the day feeling that his passionate defense of an administration bill had been near perfect. But if anyone could find fault with his remarks, it was Harry Truman. “Sam, you made a wonderful speech this afternoon,” read the note. “You…