if truth be told vs if the truth be told

Some examples from the web:

• Well, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be, but here and now with the financial state that I'm in and... and, if truth be told, I sort of feel like you're responsible a little bit.
• Abraham has a dreamer's heart, a romantic heart, his mother's heart, if truth be told.
• And if truth be told, I don't even mind seeing Zippy every day.
• However, if truth be told, the precise charges against the activist, arrested on 3 June 2010, are unknown.
• Our resolution will therefore be the first working document of the Convention on this essential subject, and in fact, if truth be told, the only document.
• Nevertheless, at the end of the holiday period our consumers will again be hit by alarmingly high bills, because too little progress has been made, if truth be told, in the SMS market and in particular with regard to data roaming.
• Mr President, Commissioner, we are in the middle of a crisis and, if truth be told, we have more important things to be doing at this point in time than pointing fingers and assigning blame.
• While condemning the horrifying terrorist attacks, if truth be told, I would like to say that the US invasion exacerbated the situation in this regard, and it is therefore the responsibility of the USA to improve the situation.
• If truth be told, the Council's and Parliament's starting positions were very different, but we have struck a sound compromise.
• If truth be told, I'm more than a little excited myself.
• If truth be told, the European Parliament has never negotiated anything in the way of progress.
• If truth be told, I'd rather be farming livestock...
• If truth be told, cruel is how you folks have treated me since I come home.
• If truth be told, it is the Commission that ultimately put forward the initial proposals for a European recovery plan, using all the instruments at its disposal.
• Such pleasure this, if truth be told, no one ever felt before, such joy in loving they adore.

Some examples from the web:

• Far more, if the truth be told.
• From our visit to the site, we gleaned a different impression, if the truth be told.
• I never had much of a family if the truth be told.
• We have drawn up numerous documents and, if the truth be told, we have mounted some significant practical initiatives.
• Aware of all of this, we are concerned and bewildered to note the apathy, indolence and cowardice with which the international community and, if the truth be told, the Union also is responding.
• If the truth be told, this problem was criminally neglected for years.
• If the truth be told, the two extreme scenarios are not very helpful in this discussion.
• If the truth be told, sometimes one's courage is not enough.
• If the truth be told, a number of European leaders knew that their countries would reject this thinly veiled constitution.
• If the truth be told, however, in many cases human rights clauses in EU agreements with third countries have not been worth the paper they were written on.
• If the truth be told, about 80%, 8, 0, any of what, the information that one needs is available in open source materials...
• This is what this is really about, if the truth be told.
• Today, everyone agrees that Nelson Mandela is a wonderful person, but if the truth be told, a good many people were slow to meet his requests for sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
• President Pöttering, you yourself demonstrated your belief that the gamble of this committee would pay off - even though, if the truth be told, it did not find favour with everyone in this Parliament when it was created 18 months ago.
• If the truth be told, I am getting a little tired of the response by the Commission and Council who say: Mr Lagendijk, economic sanctions are ineffective.
• If the truth be told, negotiations on these various issues have not really gotten underway and the Austrian Presidency could not give us more than an appraisal of them.
• Today, if the truth be told, quite a few of our partners are not overly keen on the euro.
• In any event, however, controls will be needed, otherwise we will face the gradual collapse of our societies' structures, which, if the truth be told, match the aims of globalisation too well not to suit Europe's enemies to a tee.