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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTruman's Address before Congress 1.-_ __ 79th Congress, 1st Session House Document No. 143 FURTHER PROSECUTION OF THE WAR ~bbrtS~ OF tlCbe ~re~tbent of tbe Wniteb ~tate5 DELIVERED BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE SUBJE T OF THE FURTHER PROSE- CUTION OF THE WAR APRIL 16, 1945.-Referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING cOFFICE WASHINGTON: 1946 .. 'c I I FURTHER PROSECUTION OF THE WAR Mr. SPEAKER, Mr. PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: It is with heavy heart that I stand before you, my friends and colleagues, in the Congress of the United States. Only yesterday, we laid to rest the mortal remains of our ,beloved President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. At a time like this, words are inadequate. The most eloquent tribute would be a reverent silence. Yet, in this decisive hour, when world events are moving so rapidly, our s~lence might be misunderstood and might give comfort to our enemIes. In His infinite wisdom, Almighty God has seen fit to take from us a great man who loved, and was beloved by, all humanity. - No man could possibly fill the tremendous void left by the passing of that noble soul. No' words can ease the aching hearts of untold millions of every race, creed, and color. The world knows it has lost a heroic champion of justice and freedom. Tragic fate has thrust upon us grave responsibilities. We must carryon. Our departed leader never looked backward. He looked forward and moved forward. That is what he would want us to do. That is what America ~ill do. So much blood has already been shed for the ideals which we cherish, and for which Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived and died, that we dare not permit even a momentary pause in the hard fight for victory. . Today, the entire world is looking to America for enlightened leader- ship to peace and progress. Such a lea~ership req\Iires vision, courage, and tolerance. It can be provided only by a united Nation deeply devoted to the highest ideals. I call upon all Americans to help me keep our Nation united in defense of those ideals which have been so eloquently proclaimed by Franklin Roosevelt. I want, in turn, to assure my fellow Americans and all of those who love peace and liberty throughout the world that I will support. and defend those ideals with all.my strength and with all my heart. That is my, duty, and I shall not shirk it. So that there ,can be no possible misunderstanding, both Germany and Japan can be certain, beyond any shadow of doubt, America will continue the fight for freedom until no vestige of resistance remains. Weare deeply conscious of the fact that much hard fighting is still ahead of us. , Having to pay such a heavy price to make complete victory cer- tain, America will. never become a party to any plan for partial victory. c H. Doc. 143, 79-1 1 ~ c I j .. 2 < FURTHER PROSECUTION OF c~'HE WAR FURTHER PROSECUTION OF THE WAR 3 To settle for merely another temporary respite would surely jeopardize the future security of all the world. c Our demand has been, and it remains-unconditional surrender. We will not traffic with the breakers of the peace on the terms of the peace. . . The responsibility for the making of the peace-and it is a very grave responsibility-must rest with the defenders of the peace, the United Nations. Weare not unconscious of the dictates of humanity. We do not wish to see unnecessary or unjustified suffering. But the laws of God and of man have been violated and the guilty must not go unpunished. Nothing shall shake our determination to punish the war criminals even though we must pursue them to the ends of the earth. . Lasting peace can c never be secured if we permit our dangerous opponents to plot future wars with impunity at any mountain retreat- however distant. In this shrinking world it is futile to seek safety behind geographical barriers. Real security will be found only in law and in justice. Here in America we have labored long and hard to achieve a social order worthy of our great heritage.' In our time tremendous progress has been made toward a really democratic way of life. Let me assure the forward-looking people of America that there will be no relaxation in our efforts to improve the lot of the common people. In the difficult days ahead, unquestionably we shall face problems of staggering proportions. However, with the faith, of our fathers in our hearts, we fear no future. On the battlefields we have frequently faced overwhelming odds- and won. At home, Americans will not be less resolute. We shall never cease our struggle to preserve and maintain our American way of life. At this very moment America, along with her brave allies, is paying again a heavy price for the defense of our freedom. With character- istic energy we are assisting in the liberation of entire nations. Gradu- ally the shackles of slavery are being broken by the forces of freedom. All of us are praying for a speedy victory. Every day peace is delayed costs a terrible toll. . The armies of liberation today are bringing to an end Hitler's ghastly threat to dominate the world. Tokyo rocks under the weight of our bombs. The grand strategy of a United Nations' war has been determined- due in no small measure to the vision of our departed Commander in Chief. We are now carrying out our part of that strategy under the able direction of Admiral Leahy, General Marshall, Admiral King, General Arnold, General Eisenhower, Admiral Nimitz, and General MacArthur. I want the entire world to know that this direction must and will remain-unchanged and unhampered. . Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying grati- tude. America will never forget their sacrifices. Because of these sacrifices the dawn of justice and freedom throughout the world slowly casts its gleam across the horizon. . . . . Our forefathers came to our rugged shores m search of' relIgIOUS tolerance, political freedom, and economic opportunity. For those fundamental rights they risked their lives. We well know today that such rights can be preserved only by constant vigilance, the eternal price of liberty; Within an hour after I took the oath of office, I announced that the San Francisco Conference would proceed. We' will face the problems of peace with the same courage that we have faced and mastered the problems of war. In the memory of those who have made the supreme sacrifice-in the memory of our fallen President--we shall not fail. It is not enough to yearn for peace. We must work and, if nec- essary, fight for it. The task of creating a sound international or- ganization is complicated and difficult. Yet, without such organiza- tion, the rights of man on earth cannot be protected. Machinery for the just settlement of international differences must be found., Without such machinery, the entire world will have to remain an armed camp. The world will be doomed to deadly conflict, devoid of hope for real peace. Fortunately, people have retained hope for a durable peace. Thoughtful people have always had faith that ultimately justice must triumph. Past experience surely indicates that, without justice, an enduring peace becomes impossible. In bitter despair some people have come to believe that wars are inevitable. With tragic fatalism they insist that as wars have always been, of necessity, wars will always be. To such defeatism, men and women of good will must not and cannot yield. The outlook for humanity is not so hopeless. . During the darkest hours of this horrible war, entire nations were kept going by something intangible-hope. When warned that abject submission offered the only salvation against overwhelming power, hope showed the way to victory. Hope has become the secret weapon of the forces of liberation. Aggressors could not dominate the human mind. As long as hope remains, the spirit of man will never be crushed. But hope alone was not and is not sufficient to avert war. We must not only have hope but we must have faith enough to work with other peace-loving nations to maintain the peace. Hope was . not enough to beat back the aggressors as long as the peace-loving nations were unwilling to come to each other's defense. The: aggres- sors were beaten back only when the peace-loving nations united to defend themselves. If wars in the future are to be prevented, the peace-loving nations must be united in their determination to keep the peace under law. The breaking of the peace anywhere is the c.oncern of peace-loving nations everywhere. Nothing is more ess~ntial to the future peace of the world than continued cooperation of the nations which had to muster the force necessary to defeat the conspiracy of the Fascist powers to dominate the world. While these great states have a special responsibility to enforce the peace, their responsibility is based upon the obligations resting upon all states, large and small, not to use force in international rela- tions except in the defense of law. The responsibility of the great states is to serve and not dominate the peoples of the world. 4 FURTHER PROSECUTION OF THE WAR To build the foundation of enduring peace we must not only work in harmony with our friends abroad, but we must have the united support of our own people. Even the most experienced pilot cannot bring a ship safely into harbor unless he has the full cooperation of the crew. For the benefit of all, every individual must do his duty. I appeal to every American, regardless of party, race, creed, or color, to support our efforts to build a strong and lasting United Nations organization. . You, the Members of Congress, surely know how I feel. Only with your help can I hope to complete one of the greatest tasks ever assigned to a public servant. With Divine guidance, and your help, we will find the new passage to a far better world, a kindly and friendly world, with just andlasti.ng peace. With confidence, I am depending \lpon all of you. To destroy greedy tyrants with plans of world domination, we cannot continue in successive generations to sacrifice our finest youth. In the name of human decency and civilization, a more rational method of deciding national differences must and will be found! America must assist suffcring humanity back along the path of peaceful progress. This will require time and tolerance. We shall need also an abiding faith in the people, the kind of faith and courage which Franklin Delano Roosevelt always had. Today America has become onc of the most powerful forces for good on earth. We must keep it so. We have achievcd a world leadership which does not depend solely upon our military and naval might. We have learned to fight with other nations in common defense of our freedom. We must now learn to live with other nations for our mutual good. We must learn to trade more with other nations so that there may be-for our mutual advantage-increased production, increased employment, and better standards of living throughout the world. May we Americans live up to our glorious heritage. In that way, America may well lead the world to peace and pros- perity. At this moment, I have in my heart a prayer. As I assume my heavy duties, I humbly pray to Almighty God, in the words of Solomon: . . "Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people?" I ask only to be a good and faithful servant of my Lord and my people. HAHRY.S. TRUMAN. THE WHITE HOUSE, - April 16, 1945. o , ,I I .. iLubbock funeral schednl~d Frida~. for ex-U.S.' Rep. George Mahon 1 LUBBOCK (AP) - Services are. trict in West Texas, serving as that scbeduled Friday for former U.S: ' district's only congressman until Rep. George Mabon, a personal U.S. Rep. his retirement. He first was elected friend of President Lyndon Jobn- George in 1934. I son who attained the power of the Mahon, Mahon was succeeded by Hance, nation's purse strings during bis 44 who died a former Democrat from Lubbockt years as a West Texas Tuesday, who turned Republican this yea congressman. Is remem- and is running for tbe GOP nomi- "He walked with kings, but kept bered for natlon for governor. the common man's toucb," said his 44 Lady Bird Johnson called Ma- Kent Hance, wbo followed Mahon years of hon "one of-tbe towering figures on in Congress after be retired in 1978 service. the Washington scene in our lives as cbairman of the House Appro- and such a dear gentleman." priaUons Committee. . Bryan Mahon, a nephew in Sa~ Gov. Mark White said, "George Mabon, 85, died Tuesday at Angelo, said the former congress- Mahon was a farm boy, astute Sbannon West Texas Memoriai man died of a heart attack. Mabon' country lawyer and a devout Chris- Hospital. Services were scbeduled had been bospitalized for the past tian - a true peopie's represent- Friday at the First Methodist week after surgery to replace a ative - who serVed bis district, Cburcb in Lubbock. Burial will be knee joint and bad a reaction to his state and nation Well. We will miss in Loraine Cemetery in Mitcbell medicine, the nephew said. the wisdom, tbe gentle wit and the County. Mahon represented tbe 19th Dis- friendship of this great Texan." '" ..