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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).

April 12, 1950 IT IS with sincere pleasure, Mr. President, that I welcome you to the United States. We shall do our utmost to make your stay among us pleasant and interesting. I am happy to welcome you as the chief executive of a sister republic whose…
April 23, 1948 [Released April 23, 1948. Dated April 22, 1948] THANK YOU for your cordial message. Your visit to this country emphasized the particularly close ties which bind together our two nations. I send my hearty good wishes for the continued…
May 3, 1947 [Released May 3, 1947. Dated May 2, 1947] Dear Mr. Kolodny: This is to acknowledge your letter of April 29, enclosing a copy of "Wholesaler," the official publication of your Association. I note with interest that you utilized…
April 10, 1952 To the Congress of the United States: I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1952, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949 and providing for reorganizations in the Post Office Department. My…
April 18, 1946 THE PRESIDENT. It's a pleasure to have you here, and I will be glad to answer questions if I do know the answers. If I don't know the answers, I will just tell you I don't know. [Laughter] This meeting, as I understand it, is for the…
April 13, 1950 THE PRESIDENT. [1.] I will explain to you why I was late. The President of Chile was our guest last night at the Blair House, and it is necessary for the President to see the distinguished guests away from the Blair House when they leave…
April 10, 1952 To the Congress of the United States: I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1952, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949 and providing for reorganizations in the Bureau of Customs of the…
April 23, 1948 THE PRESIDENT [replying to a request that he repeat certain remarks spoken off the record to the American Society of Newspaper Editors on April 17]. I made a bad reputation over there. Mr. Wooton:1 You added to your reputation there…
April 19, 1951 ARTHUR VANDENBERG was a patriot who always subordinated partisan advantage and personal interest to the welfare of the Nation. In his passing the Senate has lost a pillar of strength in whom integrity was implicit in every decision he…
May 6, 1947 Ladies and gentlemen: It is a pleasure for me to have the privilege to come over here and discuss with you this morning some things in which I am intensely interested. The Nation has been shocked by a long series of…
July 20, 1945 General Eisenhower, officers and men: This is an historic occasion. We have conclusively proven that a free people can successfully look after the affairs of the world. We are here today to raise the flag of victory over the…
April 22, 1949 Mr. President, and members of this association of editors and publishers: It is a pleasure to me to see you again. I regret that it was not possible to receive you at the White House. I had hoped you would have been able to…
July 20, 1945 [Released July 20, 1945. Dated July 17, 1945] Dear Dave: I am glad that at my request you are remaining on in your post as one of the Administrative Assistants to the President. I know that your long record in government…
April 13, 1950 THANK YOU very much. It is a pleasure to have you here. I am vitally interested in what you are doing and what you are trying to do, and always have been. Somebody remarked that there were a great many of you and that the handshaking…
May 7, 1947 Dear Mr. ______________: Executive Order 9809, signed on December 12, 1946, was issued for the purpose of consolidating certain wartime agencies and functions. By the terms of that Order, the functions of Section 5 of the War…
April 19, 1951 ON THIS DAY, April 19, the 130th anniversary of Venezuela's demand for independence, it is fitting for us to recall that the life and work of the Liberator, Simon Bolivar, are still highly significant to all free peoples of the world.…
April 10, 1952 To the Congress of the United States: I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1952, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949 and providing for reorganizations in the Department of Justice. My…
April 19, 1946 [Delivered from the White House at 7 p.m.] Good Evening It is my duty to join my voice with the voices of humanity everywhere in behalf of the starving millions of human beings all over the world. We have a high…
April 26, 1949 TODAY I have appointed William H. Davis of New York as chairman of the Atomic Energy Labor Relations Panel. Within a few days I expect to name the panel members who will serve with Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis was chairman of a special…
April 26, 1948 I HAVE received with great pleasure and gratitude Your Majesty's telegram announcing the posthumous award to President Roosevelt of the Grand Cross of the Military Willems Order. I am sure that the late President would have been…
May 8, 1947 THE PRESIDENT. [1.] Well, I am glad to see you this morning. Just 2 years ago I called you in here at 8:30 in the morning and made an announcement that the Germans had surrendered officially, and read you two proclamations, I think, one…
April 24, 1946 To the People of the United States: WHEREAS Almighty God in His everlasting wisdom has brought to an end the mortal life of Harlan Fiske Stone, chief Justice of the United States; and-- WHEREAS by this death the…
July 25, 1945 [Released July 25, 1945. Dated July 21, 1945] Dear Mr. O'Donnell: I deeply regret that circumstances will not permit me to be with you and with other admirers of Sir Alexander Fleming next Wednesday evening, when the Variety…
April 15, 1950 To the House of Representatives: I return herewith, without my approval, H.R. 1758, a bill to amend the Natural Gas Act approved June 21, 1938, as amended. This bill would preclude the Federal Power Commission from…
April 20, 1951 WELL, it is a pleasure to be able to receive you gentlemen this morning. I first of all want to say to you how greatly we suffered from the loss of Mr. Bevin. I became personally acquainted with him at Potsdam. He was there as a part of…