Speech of Vice President Harry S. Truman to the Irish Fellowship Club at Chicago, Illinois

SPEECH OF THE HONORABLE HARRY S. TRUMAN VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IRISH FELLOWSHIP CLUB, STEVENS HOTEL, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Columbia Broadcasting System Broadcast Time 1:45 to 2:00 PM, C.W.T. March 17, 1945 Mr. President, Mr. Mayor, Members of the Irish Fellowship Club, and Distinguished Guests. It is always refreshing to be with the Irish, especially on St. Patrick's Day. You members of the Irish Fellowship Club, here in Chicago, are following a good old Irish custom. You are keeping alive your native pride. Today the Irish people throughout the world pay homage to the good St. Patrick. Millions of other people, even those who do not follow his faith, have acquired a deep and abiding affection for the kindly Saint from Ireland. St. Patrick has become an inspiration to all who know and admire his deeds and devotion. As you probably know, marauders carried Patrick at the tender age of sixteen, from his English home near the Severn to bondage in that part of Ireland now called Ulster. During his six years of captivity, while tending the herds of Irish Rulers, Patrick experienced a deep religious emotion, reflecting his early Christian training. After a daring escape to the Continent, Patrick finally returned to Britain, with a fervent desire to bring Christianity to the Irish. Despite opposition at home, Patrick went back to Gaul with a firm deter- mination to prepare himself for his difficult mission to Ireland. Consecrated in the year 432, Patrick finally became Bishop of Ireland, and began his missionary work where he once suffered the disgrace of slavery. In spreading the faith of his fathers, the good Saint con- demned slavery, fought racial discrimination, and sought to end the tragic isolation of Ireland from the civilization and culture of the out- side forld. So many legends have grown up around the Patron Saint of Ireland, that it is rather difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Although it cannot be proven that St. Patrick actually drove the snakes from the Emerald Isle, we do know that he labored long and hard to expel all evil. In addition to his spiritual teaching, Saint Patrick also introduced the learning of the a ge to Ireland, and brought the Irish to the rest of the world. Today, America needs the benevolent aid of another St. Patrick. Evil doctrines of discrimination frequently imported from ganster nations plague certain areas in America. Racial and religious intolerance is being preached and practiced here by agents of our enemies, as well as by innocent victims of their propaganda. With relentless de- termination, our deadly opponents still seek to apply the ancient doctrine of "divide and rule" in their drive for world domination. Unfortunately, propaganda poison is exceedingly difficult to remove from our national bloodstream. The after-effects of this poison may be felt for years to come, especially if we do not recognize its danger and actively combat its spread. No nation on earth is more vulnerable to intolerance and bigotry than America, for no nation is composed of more diverse races and differing creeds than this land of the free. America became great by being a secure haven for freedom of thought and action. (OVER) NARA