Draft of Radio Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman

**MATIONAL ARCHIVES ANO REODROS 1 SERVICE . LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF THE RADIO AUDIENCE:- This great country of ours is facing a great emergency, perhaps the most serious in its history. This condition was brought about by factors over which we had no control and which we tried strenuously to avoid. The Dictator countries have brought about a war in the Eastern Hemisphere which has an effect on every person and country on the globe, no matter how remote they may be from the center of the conflict. To show how anxious we are to stay at peace, we enacted the Neutrality Act, voluntarily giving up some of our rights for which we had fought bloody battles. It became necessary for us to amend that Neutrality Act in order to help the Democracies maintain their independence, and finally to declare ourselves the Arsenal of Democracy. We suddenly decided in the Spring of 1940 that we were totally un- prepared to face a world at war and began a frenzied attempt to remedy that appalling situation. We decided to build a two ocean Navy, and to train and arm a million men a year for a period of five years. We have begun to spend money by the billions to accomplish those two purposes. We propose to give all-out aid to Great Britain, Greece and China and are getting ready to spend more billions to do it. Our National Defense machinery, never adequate nor very strong, has had to be suddenly expanded to enormous proportions. Contracts for con- struction, for supplies and for munitions have been negotiated in desperate haste. Washington has been filled with people seeking contracts -- some sincerely desiring to be of help to the Government, others seeking to serve only their own selfish interests. It has become necessary to let enormous contracts for expansion of airplane plants and for the construction of new ones. Munitions plants are throughout the nation. being constructed all ov or the place. Clothing, supplies, munitions, battle- ships, airplanes, land and everything imaginable are being purchased at a uncessary for the defenseprogera rate never before dreamed of except in 1917 and 1918. Some sixteen and one half billions of dollars in appropriations have been authorized and appropriated for defense. This does not include the appropriation of seven billions for ,