Transcripts For CSPAN3 The 20240704

And thanks for joining us on cspans American History tv. Now, it is our special series on the speeches that find a presidency. Harry truman took up fdrs mantle as one of the nations longest serving president s died suddenly in april of 1945. Truman was elected in his own right in 1948 and during his tenure he oversaw the end of world war ii, but now he presided over the beginning of the cold war. Here is president truman on his january 20th 1949 inauguration, a time he said, of grave possibilities. And i duration day. Welcome to 1949. The biggest and maduro in United States history is ready to begin. Line pennsylvania avenue, soon to be the main avenue of the triumphant parade. Railroad jams and more than half 1 million visitors from every state of the union on this festive Inauguration Day. Early morning, spectators have been along the parade route. People try their wares, and that is harry truman, elected president of the United States. Mr. Truman, the daughter, the Vice President and the chief executive fought for the inaugural ceremony. Mr. Truman escorted by congressional representative these the procession to the capital. Hes known to take his oath of office, formally recording the greatest political upset in United States history. In capital plaza, more than 1000 people are on hand to witness the event. Millions more see the event on television and hear it over worldwide radio. Along with distinguished guests star admiral nimitz, marine corps general vandergriff, and admiral United Nations secretary general lee has other areas. And the inaugural platform was mostly followed by the official headed by the chief executive. A battery of Motion Picture and Television Cameras recorded the arrival. After turkey, a member of congress for 36 years has taken his Vice President ial oath of honor. Lord help me god. And then hairiest trumans broaden as the president by the chief justice. Mister president , raise your right hand. You, harry s tremendous wrongly swear. I hairiest room in this wall emiliee swear. They do a faithfully execute the office of president of the United States. Faithfully execute the office of president of United States and wilted about this reviewability. To the best of my ability. Encourage, protect, and defend the constitution of United States. Preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of United States. Or so help you god. So help me god. applause applause round the world, the resolute president declares mr. Or senator. I accept with humility the honor of which the American People confer upon me. I accept it with the resolve to do all that i can for the welfare of this nation and for the piece of the world. In performing the duties which has inspired this nation from the beginning. Leave to me that all men have a right to equal justice under law and equal opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all men have a right to freedom of of thought and expression. We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of god. From this faith, we will not be moved. The American People desire, and are determined to work for, a world in which all nations and all peoples are free to govern themselves as they see fit, and to achieve a decent and satisfying life. Above all else, our people desire, and are determined to work for, peace on eartha just and lasting peacebased on genuine agreement freely arrived at by equals. In the pursuit of these aims, the United States and other likeminded nations find themselves directly opposed by a regime with contrary aims and a totally different concept of life. That regime adheres to a false philosophy which purports to offer freedom, security, and greater opportunity to mankind. Misled by that philosophy, many peoples have sacrificed their liberties only to learn to their sorrow that deceit and mockery, poverty and tyranny, are their reward. That false philosophy is communism. Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak and inadequate that he is unable to govern himself, and therefore punishment without trial, and forced labor as the chattel of the state. It decrees what information he shall receive, what art he shall produce, what leaders he shall follow, and what thoughts he shall think. Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity of certain unalienable rights to govern himself with reason and justice. applause he maintains the government is for the benefit of the individual and is charged with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the individual and his freedom in the exercise of those abilities of his. applause the difference between communism and democracy do not concern the United States alone. People everywhere are coming to realize that what is involved is material wellbeing, human dignity, and the right to believe in and worship god. I in the aims of hostilities, the United States has invested its substance and its energy in a great constructive effort to restore peace, stability, and freedom to the world. We have sought no territory. We have imposed our will on none. We have asked for no privileges we would not extend to others. We have made every effort to secure agreements on Effective International control of our most powerful weapon, and we have worked steadily for the limitation and control of all armaments. We have encouraged, are moving on with other nations the sovereign structure of International Order and justice. We shall have asked no longer solely concerned the problem of national survival, are now working to improve the standards of living of all their people. We are ready to undertake new projects to strengthen a free world. In the coming years, our program for peace and freedom will emphasize four major courses of action. First, we will continue to give unfaltering support to the United Nations and related agencies, and we will continue to search for ways to strengthen their authority and increase their effectiveness. Second, we will continue our programs for World Economic recovery. This means, first of all, that we must keep our full weight behind the european recovery program. We are confident of third, we will strengthen freedomloving nations against the dangers of aggression. We for, we will embark on a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientific advances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth of underdeveloped areas. I believe that we can make available to peace loving people, the benefits of our store of Technical Knowledge in order to help them realize their aspirations for a better life. Our aim should be to help the free peoples of the world, through their own efforts, to produce more food, more clothing, more materials for housing, and more mechanical power to lighten they are bergen. The arc of finalizing fourth, a third of people of the world rely on thats only against their human a pressures, but also, against their ancient enemies. Hunger, misery, and despair. In these times, as our becomes manifest and more and more nations come to know the benefits of democracy and participate in going up on them, i believe that those countries that now oppose us will abandon their delusions and join with the free nations of the world in a just settlement of international differences. applause we will advance towards a world where mans freedom is secure. To that end we will devote our strength, our resources, and our firmness of resolve. With gods help, the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony, and peace. applause on this chill winter day, the president leaves capitol hill to take his place in the parade of the white house reviewing. With more than 1 Million People lining the route, 17,000 marchers join at the seven mile long procession down pennsylvania avenue. A line of marchers is the army chief of staff or more broadly, and a long history in the possession of the national capital. Then come the president and Vice President , but chief executive this is guard of honor, a 129 field artillery, with whom he served as captain in the first world war. Cabinet members include the secretary of state, jean atkinson, and the attorney general of the United States, general dwight d. Eisenhower arrives in the car of army secretary, kenneth royal. Behind him marks the future general, battalion at west point. The brigade of the United States naval account academy under review. Next, look at thats the United States coast guard academy. Then, of the marine corps, marched on the broad afaneh, which today is the Parade Ground for every branch of the army services. The 82 as the flying leave one of the greatest air monitors to fly over the capital. More than 700 planes and all. The imd 36 flies overhead. The parade includes not only the military, but in the panorama of american life. President trumps state of missouri has several displace. One of them, a wagon drawn by mystery bowl. Other floats depicted scenery of the various states. This is kentuckys. The Vice President s home state. The state of texas looked moves down the avenue. inaudible but the streets of columbia this place reproductions of the capital and the washington monument. The massachusetts special float, honoring the early american settlers, who landed on the shores of that stage. The figure of uncle sam drives down the avenue. inaudible labor and fraternal organizations representing millions of their members from all over the country, participate in the inaugural festivities. The fine music of more than 40 pants, and many drum and bugle corps. Near the white house, the excitement looms as the chief executive approach or. Decker as he prepares to leave his car and take his place on the reviewing stand. applause for nearly three hours, the president and Vice President stand together, acknowledging the of their countrymen. A group of california cowboys salute president truman and those of the pretzel dough mission, much to the president s amusement. Another group since the chief executive with a gift. A brandnew cowboy hat. The president is cheered by the citizens of of which he was inaudible . Group by group, people from each of the 48 state of the union on our Harry S Truman in his 40th and aguirre shun since george washingtons, because the nations first president. Nearly 150 years ago. Honorable pageant Inauguration Day in 1949, declares the boot of the nation and we are a more peaceful world, yet mindful of the military needs to make and keep that peace. And Harry Trumans own words, it is not the beginning, not only of a new administration, but of a period that would be eventful, perhaps decisive, for the United States and for the world. And youre watching the American History tv series speeches. That defined the presidency. We now turn our attention to dwight eisenhower, who was president of 1953 to 1961. Here are two of his speeches. In 1957 that americans listening on radio and tv heard ike confront segregation, and the mob blocking African American students from entering little central high. Then, well see him in 1961, three days before relinquishing his office to a younger john kennedy. He left his countryman with a warning about the growing military industrial complex. From the president s office in the white house, washington d. C. We percentage better the dress by the president United States dwight d. Eisenhower. Mr. Eisenhower discusses the integration problem in little rock, arkansas. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States. Good evening, my fellow citizens for a few minutes this evening i should like to speak to you about the serious situation that has arisen in little rock. To make this talk, i have come to the president s office in the white house. I could have spoken from rhode island, where i have been staying recently. But i felt that, in speaking from the house of lincoln, of jackson, and of wilson, my words would better convey both the sadness i feel in the action i was compelled today to make and the firmness with which i intend to pursue this course until the orders of the federal court at little rock can be executed without unlawful interference. In that city, under the leadership of demagogic extremists, disorderly mobs have deliberately prevented the local authorities have not eliminated that violent opposition and, under the law, i yesterday issued a proclamation calling upon the mob to disperse. This morning the mob again gathered in front of the Central High School of little rock, obviously for the purpose of again preventing the carrying out of the courts order relating to the admission of negro children to that school. Whenever normal agencies prove inadequate to the task and it becomes necessary for the executive branch of the federal government to use its powers and authority to uphold federal courts, the president s responsibility is inescapable. In accordance with that responsibility, i have today issued an executive order directing the use of troops under federal authority to aid in the execution of federal law at little rock, arkansas. This became necessary when my proclamation of yesterday was not observed, and the obstruction of justice still continues. It is important that the reasons for my action be understood by all our citizens. As you know, the Supreme Court of the United States has decided that separate public educational facilities for the races are inherently unequal; and therefore, Compulsory School segregation laws are unconstitutional. Our personal opinions about the decision have no bearing on the matter of enforcement; the responsibility and authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the constitution are very clear. Local federal courts were instructed by the Supreme Court to issue such orders and decrees as might be necessary to achieve admission to Public Schools without regard to race and with all deliberate speed. During the past several years, many communities in our Southern States have instituted Public School plans for gradual progress in the enrollment and attendance of School Children of all races in order to bring themselves into compliance with the law of the land. Thus, they demonstrated to the world that we are a nation in which laws, not men, are supreme. I regret to say that this truth, the cornerstone of our liberties, was not observed in this instance. It was my hope that this localized situation would be brought under control by city and state authorities. If the use of local Police Powers had been sufficient, our traditional method of leaving the problem in those hands would have been pursued. But when large gatherings of obstructionists made it impossible for the decrees of the court to be carried out, both the law and the National Interest demanded that the president take action. Here is the sequence of events in the development of the Little Rock School case. In may of 1955, the Little Rock School board approved a moderate plan for the gradual desegregation of the Public Schools in that city. It provided that a start toward integration would be made at the present term in the high school, and that the plan would be in full operation by 1963. Here, i might say that in a number of communities in arkansas integration in the schools has already started and without violence of any kind. Now this little rock plan was challenged in the courts by some who believed that the period of time as proposed in the plan was too long. The United States court at little rock, which has supervisory responsibility under the law for the plan of desegregation in the Public Schools, dismissed the challenge, thus approving a gradual rather than an abrupt change from the existing system. The court found that the school board had acted in good faith in planning for a Public School system free from racial discrimination. Since that time, the court has on three separate occasions issued orders directing that the plan be carried out. All persons were instructed to refrain from interfering with the efforts of the school board to comply with the law. Proper and sensible observance of the law then demanded the respectful obedience which the nation has a right to expect from all its people. This, unfortunately, has not been the case at little rock. Certain misguided persons, many of them imported into little rock by agitators, have insisted upon defying the law and have sought to bring it into disrepute. The orders of the court have thus been frustrated. The very basis of our individual rights and freedoms rests upon the certainty that the president and the executive branch of government will support and insure the carrying out of the decisions of the federal courts, even, when necessary, with all the means at the president s command. Unless the president did so, anarchy would result. There would be no security for any except that which each one of us could provide for himself. The interest of the nation in the proper fulfillment of the laws requirements cannot yield to opposition and demonstrations by some few persons. Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of our courts. Now let me make it very clear that federal troops are not being used to relieve local and state authorities of their primary duty to preserve the peace and order of the community. Nor are the troops there for the purpose of taking over the responsibility of the school board and the other responsible local officials in running Central High School. The running of our School System and the maintenance of peace and order in each of our states are strictly local affairs and the federal government does not interfere except in very special cases and when requested by one of the several states. In the present case the troops are there, pursuant to law, solely for the purpose of preventing interference with the orders of the court. The proper use of the powers of the executive branch to enforce the orders of a federal court is limited to extraordinary and compelling circumstances. Manifestly, such an extreme situation has been created in little rock. This challenge must be met and with such measures as will preserve to the people as a whole their lawfullyprotected rights in a climate permitting their free and fair exercise. The overwhelming majority of our people in every section of the country are united in their respect for observance of the law even in those cases where they may disagree with that law. They deplore the call of extremists to violence. The decision of the Supreme Court concerning School Integration of course affects the south more seriously than it does other sections of the country. In that region i have many warm friends, some of them in the city of little rock. I have deemed it a great personal privilege to spend in our southland tours of duty while in the military service and enjoyable recreational periods since that time. So from intimate personal knowledge, i know that the overwhelming majority of the people in the south including those of arkansas and of little rock are of good will, united in their efforts to preserve and respect the law even when they disagree with it. They do not sympathize with mob rule. They, like the rest of our nation, have proved in two great wars their readiness to sacrifice for america. And the foundation of the american way of life is our national respect for law. In the south, as elsewhere, citizens are keenly aware of the tremendous disservice that has been done to the people of arkansas in the eyes of the nation, and that has been done to the nation in the eyes of the world. At a time when we face grave situations abroad because of the hatred that communism bears toward a system of government based on human rights, it would be difficult to exaggerate the harm that is being done to the prestige and influence, and indeed to the safety, of our nation and the world. Our enemies are gloating over this incident and using it everywhere to misrepresent our whole nation. We are portrayed as a violator of those standards of conduct which the peoples of the world united to proclaim in the charter of the United Nations. There, they affirmed faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person and they did so without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. And so with deep confidence, i call upon the citizens of the state of arkansas to assist in bringing to an immediate end all interference with the law and its processes. If resistance to the federal court order ceases at once, the further presence of federal troops will be unnecessary and the city of little rock will return to its normal habits of peace and order; and a blot upon the fair name and high honor of our nation in the world will be removed. Thus will be restored the image of america and of all its parts as one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Good night, and thank you very much. This has been a special address by the president at the United States, but the eyes in higher. The special programming from the president s office in the white house in washington, d. C. My fellow americans three days from now, after half a century in the service of our country, i shall lay down the responsibilities of office as, in traditional and solemn ceremony, the authority of the presidency is vested in my successor. This evening i come to you with a message of leavetaking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen. Like every other citizen, i wish the new president , and all who will labor with him, godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all. Our people expect their president and the congress to find essential agreement on issues of great moment, the wise resolution of which will better shape the future of the nation. My own relations with the congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when, long ago, a member of the Senate Appointed me to west point, have since ranged to the intimate during the war and immediate postwar period, and, finally, to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years. In this final relationship, the congress and the administration have, on most vital issues, cooperated well, to serve the National Good rather than mere partisanship, and so have assured that the business of the nation should go forward. So, my official relationship with the Congress Ends in a feeling, on my part, of gratitude that we have been able to do so much together. We now stand ten years past the midpoint of a century that has witnessed four major wars among great nations. Three of these involved our own country. Despite these holocausts america is today the strongest, the most influential and most productive nation in the world. Understandably proud of this preeminence, we yet realize that americas leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. Throughout americas adventure in free government, our basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity and integrity among people and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance, or our lack of comprehension or readiness to sacrifice would inflict upon us grievous hurt both at home and abroad. Progress toward these noble goals is persistently threatened by the conflict now engulfing the world. It commands our whole attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology, global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to Carry Forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle, with liberty at stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward Permanent Peace and human betterment. Crises there will continue to be. In meeting them, whether foreign or domestic, great or small, there is a recurring temptation to feel that some spectacular and costly action could become the miraculous solution to all current difficulties. A huge increase in newer elements of our defense; development of unrealistic programs to cure every ill in agriculture; a dramatic expansion in basic and applied research, these and many other possibilities, each possibly promising in itself, may be suggested as the only way to the road we wish to travel. But each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration the need to maintain balance in and among national programs, balance between the private and the public economy, balance between cost and hoped for advantage, balance between the clearly necessary and the comfortably desirable; balance between our essential requirements as a nation and the duties imposed by the nation upon the individual; balance between action of the moment and the National Welfare of the future. Good judgment seeks balance and progress; lack of it eventually finds imbalance and frustration. The record of many decades stands as proof that our people and their government have, in the main, understood these truths and have responded to them well, in the face of stress and threat. But threats, new in kind or degree, constantly arise. I mention two only. A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. Our military Organization Today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peace time, or indeed by the fighting men of world war ii or korea. Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all united state corporations. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the american experience. The total influence, economic, political, even spiritual, is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrialmilitary posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the federal government. Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been over shadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nations scholars by federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding Scientific Research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that Public Policy could itself become the captive of a scientific, technological elite. It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system, ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society. Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into societys future, we, you and i, and our government, must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow. Down the long lane of the history yet to be written america knows that this world of ours, ever growing smaller, must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect. Such a confederation must be one of equals. The weakest must come to the conference table with the same confidence as do we, protected as we are by our moral, economic, and military strength. That table, though scarred by many past frustrations, cannot be abandoned for the certain agony of the battlefield. Disarmament, with mutual honor and confidence, is a continuing imperative. Together we must learn how to compose difference, not with arms, but with intellect and decent purpose. Because this need is so sharp and apparent i confess that i lay down my official responsibilities in this field with a definite sense of disappointment. As one who has witnessed the horror and the lingering sadness of war, as one who knows that another war could utterly destroy this civilization which has been so slowly and painfully built over thousands of years, i wish i could say tonight that a lasting peace is in sight. Happily, i can say that war has been avoided. Steady progress toward our ultimate goal has been made. But, so much remains to be done. As a private citizen, i shall never cease to do what little i can to help the world advance along that road. So, in this my last good night to you as your president , i thank you for the many opportunities you have given me for Public Service in war and peace. I trust that in that service you find somethings worthy; as for the rest of it, i know you will find ways to improve performance in the future. You and i, my fellow citizens, need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under god, will reach the goal of peace with justice. May we be ever unswerving in devotion to principle, confident but humble with power, diligent in pursuit of the nations great goals. To all the peoples of the world, i once more give expression to americas prayerful and continuing inspiration we pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom may experience its spiritual blessings; that those who have freedom will understand, also, its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth, and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of Mutual Respect and love. Now, on friday noon, i am to become a private citizen. I am proud to do so. I look forward to it. Thank you and goodnight. We have presented the farewell address by the president but the United States, its like the eisenhower, who spoke this evening from his office in the white house. Thank you for joining us on cspan American History tv. Special Series Features that defiant presidency. Next week, well hear from john kenney, from his 1961 inaugural address and speech on the earth to deepen and the cold war. A reminder that at the features that we have played and the series are available to watch online from cspan. Org slash history. This year, book tv is celebrating 25 years of nonfiction books and authors. For the 22nd year in a row, book tv is live from the library of congress, National Book festival. In 2001, book tv, in partnership with the library of congress, has provided a signature, indepth, and interrupted coverage of the national festival, featuring nonfiction authors again. Watch saturday at book tv brings you live all day coverage of the National Guest and authors include librarian of congress, on his book, i have something to tell you, for young adults. Former nfl player rj russell, author of the book, the yards between us. See our schedule online at booktv. Org. The library of congress and National Book festival Live Saturday beginning at nine 8 am eastern on cspan two. A healthy democracy does not just look like this, it looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work. Are truly influential, a republic drive, getting from the sources on cspan, unfiltered, unbiased, word for word, from the Nations Capital to wherever you are. You get the opinion that matters the most, your own. This is what democracy looks