Public Papers
The Public Papers of Harry S. Truman contain most of President Truman's public messages, statements, speeches, and news conference remarks. Documents such as Proclamations, Executive Orders, and similar documents that are published in the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, as required by law, are usually not included. The documents within the Public Papers are arranged in chronological order. President Truman delivered the remarks or addresses from Washington, D. C., unless otherwise indicated. The White House in Washington issued statements, messages, and letters unless noted otherwise. (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1966)
The Public Papers contain items such as the Statement by the President Announcing the Use of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima (August 6, 1945), the Special Message to the Congress on Greece and Turkey: The Truman Doctrine (March 12, 1947), the White House Statement Announcing Recognition of the Government of Israel (January 31, 1949), the Statement and Order by the President on Relieving General MacArthur of His Commands (April 11, 1951), and The President's Farewell Address to the American People (January 15, 1953).
May 20, 1949
Mr. President:
In Rio de Janeiro you set a precedent for courtesy and hospitality. As best we can we have been attempting to return to you and to the people of Brazil those wonderful tributes and pleasant times which we had…
May 6, 1950
[Released May 6, 1950. Dated May 5, 1950]
My dear Senator O'Mahoney:
I am highly gratified by the thorough and objective consideration which your committee is giving to H.R. 331 and H.R. 49, bills which would enable the…
May 8, 1946
ON THE FIRST anniversary of V-E Day the people of the United States remember with grateful pride the men and the women of the United Nations whose unstinted sacrifices made the victory possible. The year that has passed has made us realize…
June 5, 1947
THE PRESIDENT. I have a couple of announcements to make this morning, and a statement to read to you.
[1.] Dwight Griswold, former Governor of Nebraska, and Director of Internal Affairs for General Clay, will be Chief of the United States…
May 24, 1948
To the Congress of the United States:
I wish to urge upon the Congress the necessity for action at this session to strengthen our system for the protection of our people from the hazards of economic insecurity. We must not let…
May 6, 1950
[Released May 6, 1950. Dated May 5, 1950]
I HAVE today approved H.R. 4080 which establishes a Uniform Code of Military Justice equally applicable to all of the Armed Forces of the United States in time of war and peace.
It is particularly…
April 25, 1952
[Released April 25, 1952. Dated April 24, 1952 ]
Dear Senator Maybank:
I am writing to urge your careful attention to a matter of great importance to the proper management of the Government and to the welfare of our many…
May 8, 1946
THE PRESIDENT of the United States and the Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Canada issued the following statement today:
We announced on December 10, 1945 plans to terminate two of the combined supply boards but stated that the food…
May 21, 1949
THE PRESIDENT of Brazil and the President of the United States are associated in their approval of the following statements:
[1.] The President of the United States of Brazil and the President of the United States of America have met in…
May 17, 1951
THE PRESIDENT. I have no announcements to make. I will try to answer questions, however.
[1.] Q. Mr. President, what do you think of the House action in overriding your veto of the real estate bill?1
THE PRESIDENT. Didn't know about it…
May 26, 1948
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I wish to express my earnest hope that the House of Representatives will take favorable action at this session upon legislation providing Federal aid for elementary and secondary schools.
It will be recalled…
August 24, 1945
[Released August 24, 1945. Dated August 23, 1945]
To the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies:
Section 14 of the Veterans' Preference Act of 1944 sets forth certain definite procedures to be followed by the heads of…
June 5, 1947
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY of the United Nations in special session on May 15, 1947, unanimously adopted the following resolution:
"The General Assembly calls upon all governments and peoples, and particularly on the inhabitants of Palestine,…
June 7, 1947
I HAVE today received from the Attorney General a comprehensive report on governmental patent practices and policies. The extensive study involved in its preparation was undertaken by the Claims Division of the Department of Justice. The…
August 24, 1945
CITATION FOR THE LEGION OF MERIT
DEGREE OF CHIEF COMMANDER
GENERAL CHARLES DE GAULLE, President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic and Commander-in-Chief of France's armed forces, performed distinguished services by…
May 7, 1950
IT IS with profound regret that I have learned of the death in Philadelphia of His Excellency Dr. Victor Roman y Reyes, President of Nicaragua. President Roman y Reyes has been a sincere friend of the United States, and we share with the…
April 25, 1952
Dear Kenneth:
On April 2, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7268, the Army civil functions appropriations bill for the fiscal year 1953. In doing so, the House reduced my budget requests for flood control and river and…
May 26, 1948
My dear Mr. Chairman:
I am advised that the Senate Committee on Appropriations is currently considering the appropriation request for the Tennessee Valley Authority, including particularly restoration of the budgeted amount of…
May 9, 1946
To the House of Representatives:
I return herewith, without my approval, H.R. 3755, the purpose of which is to establish an Optometry Corps in the Medical Department of the Army. In my opinion a separate Optometry Corps would…
May 18, 1951
Mr. Chairman, General Marshall, distinguished guests--the armed forces of Japan and Korea, and our gallant allies who are alongside our armed forces in Korea:
I want to impress upon you, on this second anniversary of Armed…
May 25, 1949
THANK YOU very much. I appreciate it, and hope very much that I will continue to deserve it.
The statement was made, I think before the election last fall, that the principles for which we are fighting are just as old as the Constitution…
January 12, 1950
THE PRESIDENT. I have no announcements today. I will try to answer questions, if anybody has any on his mind.
[1.] Q. Mr. President, have you reached any new decision on whether there is an emergency in coal that would warrant use of…
January 14, 1952
To the Congress of the United States:
I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1952, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949 and providing for reorganizations in the Bureau of Internal Revenue of…
January 22, 1948
THE PRESIDENT. I have no special announcements to make this morning, so if you want to start off with questions, why go ahead.
[1.] Q. Mr. President, this week a couple of major economic recommendations were made to the Congress by…
January 11, 1946
CITATION FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL
(Oak Leaf Cluster)
MAJOR GENERAL William J. Donovan served in the highly important and responsible position of Director of Strategic Services, Joint Chiefs of Staff, from June 1942 to August…