State of the Union

President Truman flapped open his leather notebook, and began in his usual flat tone to read his message to Congress on the State of the Union. When he finished 45 minutes later, he had made little news. The U.S. must continue to stand fast against world Communism, with military power and with economic aid to friends in Europe and Asia. More specifically, it must push through an honorable armistice in Korea, act on the Japanese Peace Treaty, complete a network of Pacific security pacts, and help integrate the German Federal Republic into the defense scheme of Western Europe. On the domestic front, Truman soft-pedaled the Fair Deal, concentrated on defense.

Highlights of the message: P: "This will be a presidential election year . . . But we have a great responsibility to conduct our political fights in a manner that does not harm the national interest."

P: "In Korea, the forces of the United Nations turned back the Chinese Communist invasion . . . We strengthened the chances of peace in the Pacific region by the treaties with Japan . . . In Europe . . . the free nations have created a real fighting force . . ."

P: "During this past year, we added more than a million men & women to our armed forces . . . We have made rapid progress in the field of atomic weapons . . . Economic conditions in the country are good . . . We are increasing our basic capacity to produce . . ."

P: "The grim fact remains that the Soviet Union is increasing its armed might . . . During 1951 we did not make adequate progress in building up civil defense against atomic attack ... In the field of defense production we have run into difficulties ... In the Middle East, political tensions and the oil controversy in Iran are keeping the region in a turmoil. In the Far East, the dark threat of Communist imperialism still hangs over many nations."

P: He made a strong plea for Point Four aid to Asia: "Less than one-third the expenditures for the cost of World War II would have created the developments necessary to feed the whole world, so we would not have had 'stomach Communism' . . . Unless we fight that battle, and win it, we cannot win the cold war or a hot one, either."

P: On domestic policy he proposed 1) a stepped-up defense program with the accent on the Air Force, 2) a strong anti-inflation law, 3) revision, not repeal, of the Taft-Hartley act, 4) another study of the health-insurance problem.

Near the end of his speech, Truman tenderly fingered another Fair Deal sore point. "Some dishonest people," he said, "worm themselves into almost every human organization. It is all the more shocking, however, when they make their way into a Government such as ours ... I intend to see to it that federal employees who have been guilty of misconduct are punished for it."

With different ideas in mind, both Republicans and Democrats applauded this particular passage.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.