Not only does the Republican administration itself fail and refuse to do anything, but when the Democratic Congress tries to do something, the administration tries to prevent it.
And as to foreign policy, while the administration has proposed some good legislative measures, with the Democrats' support, it has carried on our relations with our allies as if it were an overbearing banker with a glass eye, and has wasted its time in letter -writing contests with the While the Russians are catching up with us in deeds, not words.
The Democratic Party is and must remain the party of the people.
Our primary concern is with the vast majority who make the backbone of the nation.
The working men and women, farmers, people on salary, and people of moderate income.
We are of course also concerned with the welfare of the well -to -do, and I've noticed that in the long run, they too seem to fare better under the Democrats than under the Republicans.
But we should always make sure it can be said of us, the Democratic Party is better for the little fellow.
International cooperation must be not only the watchword of our foreign policy, it must also be the central theme of our whole national life, shaping our course in everything we do, domestic as well as foreign.
Remember this too, my friends, mere survival is not our only concern.
How we survive is much more important.
Whether we survive as free men and a nation unafraid, or as a cowering, frightened people in retreat, we must do what is necessary to survive as a free people, no matter what the cost.
Remember the last sentence in the Declaration of Independence.
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.
Thank you.
The Declaration of Independence When has the prestige of this country ever been so low throughout the world? When have we ever lost so many friends? When have we ever come to be looked upon as an enemy to peace and prosperity by so many millions of people? How can we ever regain precious ground that has been so faultlessly and needlessly lost in the struggle for a free and peaceful world? The people want the truth and the facts.
They want action at the top.
For the good of the nation and for the welfare and benefit of the ordinary citizen, the present great Republican illusion is coming to an end.
All great Republican illusions have ended in disaster, 1873, 1893, 1907, 1929.
These great panics followed Republican control of the White House.
What is the situation today? What has this Republican administration done to and not for the country? What adversities has it brought upon us? Let's take a look at some of them.
This administration has increased unemployment by more than 100 percent.
When I left the White House, there were about two million unemployed.
Today there are over five million and several millions more who are only partially employed.
Men and women are walking the streets looking for work they can't find in Chicago, in Detroit, in New York, and other towns and cities across the country.
This has been going on for months.
Unemployment insurance is running out.
Some people never had it.
This means rent that can't be paid, installment payments that can't be met, and hungry mouths that can't be fed.
I thought it was a good speech.
Mr.
President, Hugh Hill from CBS.
I wonder if you would comment on the Vice President's trip to North America.
I'm very sorry.
The situation of that kind had to develop.
The Vice President of the United States, on these foreign trips, represents the country, and he should be treated with every courtesy in the world when he makes a visit of that kind.
I thought it was a bad thing.
I had nothing to do with his going.
I had nothing to do with what he did down there.
I'm telling you what I think the thing was.
I think it was a very discourteous treatment to the Vice President of the United States who represented the President at that time.
Mr.
President, do you think his trip damaged the prestige of the United States? Well, apparently it did, and I'm sorry because those people there have always been our friends.
Mr.
President, if you were President, would you have sent your Vice President down there under the conditions? I never make hypothetical answers to hypothetical questions.
I wasn't the President.
What do you think it was like to send the Marines? That's a matter that we will discuss a little later on in the campaign.
Otherwise, it was a good subject.
It was a very good subject.
Mr.
Truman, do you think the United States foreign policy toward France has anything to do with, toward Algeria has anything to do with the crisis in France right now? I can't answer that question, but if you read this speech very carefully, you'll find a reference to it.
Mr.
Truman, about two weeks ago, one of the local newspapers, Not to Chicago America, maybe it was, said that you are making efforts at this early date to block the possibility of Adlai Stevenson getting a nomination in 1960.
Is that true? No, you know it isn't true.
No effort would be made by me to block anybody.
When the Democratic Convention meets there and nominates somebody, it will be elected and that's all I'm interested in.
Do you have any favorites, Mr.
Truman? No, I haven't.
No favorites at all.
We will have the election of 1958 and we'll find out then.
We'll have plenty of timber.
We won't be in trouble about that.
Do you plan to campaign, Mr.
President? That was my question, sir.
You were a little bit later in the campaign.
Do you plan to campaign actively? Well, it depends altogether on whether the National Democratic Committee and the Senate or whether the House of Committees want to use me.
I'll be glad to do anything I can to help.
See what you think.
Here's the situation that they are so kind to me, they sometimes overdo it.
They'll have a supposed meeting in some place like the one we're going to have tonight and there'll be half a dozen others in connection with it, which are all right and I like to go to them.
But if I were 44 or 54 instead of 74, I could get around a little faster, although I go too fast sometimes for a walk with these boys in the morning.
But what the doctor was interested in was to be sure that the old machine didn't wear out until after the campaign in 1960.
Is your old machine going down at all? Not necessarily.
Only when the madam and the doctor says that you can't go this place or that place or the other because you'd better sit still and rest a little while.
Well, I guess that's true after you get to be 70 that you do have to take it a little slower, I'll admit that.
But I'd like to have you boys keep up with me sometimes if you want to take a walk at 120 a minute.
Do you still take your walks? Yes.
What time did you get up this morning? Well, I was on the train this morning but I got up to use the time, about five o 'clock.
That's standard time, not your crazy time you've got here in Chicago.
All right boys.
I'd like to raise a private issue but apparently the issue we're going to have to face in the next two years.
But in your opinion, this is also a hypothetical question, can a man of Catholic religion be elected president or vice president of the United States? Well, up to date it's been a handicap.
Now I hope that we'll get over that because no such handicap should exist in this great republic of ours.
Mr.
President, do you have any comment on Harold Stassen's fate in Pennsylvania? Well, it just goes to show that a man had better stay in his own better wake.
I think if he'd stayed up among the Swedes he'd have better luck.
Some of the Democrats, Mr.
President, are saying that Vice President Nixon's trip to South America did him a lot of good in support of the candidacy for 1960.
Well, it may have.
I can't answer that question because I'm not a very good politician.
I'm just a country boy, a retired farmer from Missouri.
Could you consider yourself a diplomat now, Mr.
President? I never was one.
Mr.
President.
In the technical definition of the word, a diplomat is a man who tells the truth.
Go ahead.
Go ahead with your question.
I was wondering, sir, if you had any...
would you be against Mr.
Stevenson running for a big time? I'm not against anybody.
When the Democratic Convention acts, I'll be for the nominee and try to help elect him, not on who to be.
Neither do you.
Read the speech.
It'll tell you about it.
Yes, I have planned to go to Russia and thought one time I was going to get to go, but it didn't happen.
Stalin invited me while I was at Potsdam, but I never got to go.
I never had a chance to go.
Do you think he'll ever go now? I don't know.
We'll have to wait until things develop.
Mr.
Truman, a former president of the Republican Party wrote a book about a Democratic president.
Mr.
Gubin wrote it about Mr.
Wilson.
It's a very good book, and I like it, and I'm very glad that he did it.
It's a fine job.
You ought to read it.
You'll get some information that you haven't had because he treats Wilson like a dog, just like he didn't me.
You're publishers and editors, not you, boy.
Sir, I was just wondering, sir, if you might write a book about some Republican president, which one would that like? Well, if it's necessary, I guess I could do it, but I don't like to write books.
It's too much trouble.
Which president would it be? Well, we'll have to contemplate that, too.
Okay.
There are plenty of them, about which a book could be written, and elaborate.
Mr.
President, do you have any comment on the lack of labor legislation in this session of Congress? Too bad.
Mr.
President, have you and Governor Herman discussed the possibility of Governor Herman regenerating in 1960? Governor Herman's discussion with me has always been to have himself reelected governor of the great state of New York, and then after that there'd be plenty of time to talk about the convention of 1960.
You have not discussed the subject? I have not discussed the subject.
You accept the hope that he'll be reelected governor of New York? He'll be still, of all the candidates.
You have to ask him.
I can't answer that.
Well, is he still your favorite? Is he? Dave is pulling the lights up there.
I'm all right, Dave.
Dave wants somebody to say thank you, Mr.
President.
Finish your question.
I don't know.
Mr.
President, the United States President says that.
Thank you.
Everybody's always good to be with you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
