Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Miami, Florida

ARGHIVES AND RECORDS U.S. SERVICE" HOLD FOR RILEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE October 18, 1948 CONFIDENTIAL: The following address of the President, to be dolivered at the Annual Convention of the American Legion in Miami, Florida, today, Monday, October 18, 1948, MUST BE HELD FOR RELEASE until 2:00 P.M., Eastern Standard Time, October 18, and no portion, synopsis, or intimation may be given out, or broadcast or published until that time. The same release applies to all newspapers, radio announcers and news broadcasters. PLEASE USE CARE TO AVOID PREMATURE PUBLICATION OR RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT. CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President I am glad to be here today as a delegate from Missouri, as a comrade-in-arms and as Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces. We Legionnaires have been mecting together for a. long time. This makes the thirtieth year that the Legion has met to keep strong the ties that bind together men who fought together for their country. In those years the Legion has been serving our country in peace as well as in war. I am happy to see the younger men of World War II joining and strengthening our organization, which has never failed to be vigilant for the welfare and security of our country. I have looked forward to this opportunity of counseling with you'as veterans. Among our countrymen, you understand best of all the tragic meaning of war. You. learned the hard way how to hate it. Today, I want to share with you my views about the things that lie nearest our hearts -- the peace and freedom of the world. As President of the United States, it has been my duty to find the men to staff our efforts for security and peace. It has been my duty to initiate and approve the great proposals which have advanced both our security and the recovery of the free nations of the world. As your Chief Executive, I know of the patriotic efforts of men of both parties to support those policies. The plain fact remains, however, that while the President of the United States can delegate authority, he has the responsibility, under the Constitution, for the conduct of our foreign affairs. In that capacity, I want to stress something which I am sure every veteran and every real American will approve. So long as I am President of the United States, there will be no chip on the shoulder of America. As I have said before, I would rather see the peace of the world preserved than be President of the United States. In recent months, the trend of events has caused us deep con- cern. The great need today is for action to strengthen the United Nations in dealing :with the disputes which now challenge its authority -- action to create an improved atmosphere for all future negotiations looking toward peace. Lately, in Europe and even here in the United States, there has been loose and irresponsible talk to the effect that the United States is deliberately following a course that leads to war. That is a wicked falsehood. (OVER)