Inaugural Address

Harry S. Truman: Inaugural Address
delivered 20 January, 1949
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, fellow citizens:
謙譲

地位を与えるI accept with humility the honor which the American people have conferred upon me. I
accept it with a resolve to do all that I can for the welfare of this Nation and for the peace ofthe world.
職務In performing the duties of my office, I need the help and the prayers of every one of you. I
ask for your encouragement and for your support. The tasks we face are difficult. We canaccomplish them only if we work together.
Each period of our national history has had its special challenges. Those that confront us
重要な

now are as momentous as any in the past. Today marks the beginning not only of a new
波乱に富んだ

administration, but of a period that will be eventful , perhaps decisive, for us and for theworld.
運命大いに引き起こす

It may be our lot to experience, and in a large measure bring about, a major turning
point in the long history of the human race. The first half of this century has been marked
前例のない戦慄すべきby unprecedented and brutal attacks on the rights of man, and by the two most frightful
wars in history. The supreme need of our time is for men to learn to live together in peace
調和and harmony.
不確かさ

織りなされている～半々The peoples of the earth face the future with grave uncertainty, composed almost equallyof great hopes and great fears. In this time of doubt, they look to the United States as neverbefore for good will, strength, and wise leadership.
適切なIt is fitting , therefore, that we take this occasion to proclaim to the world the essential
principles of the faith by which we live, and to declare our aims to all peoples.
鼓舞するThe American people stand firm in the faith which has inspired this Nation from thebeginning. We believe that all men have a right to equal justice under law and equal
公益opportunity to share in the common good. We believe that all men have a right to freedomof thought and expression. We believe that all men are created equal because they areIInaugural Address
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礼儀正しいand all peoples are free to govern themselves as they see fit, and to achieve a decent andsatisfying life. Above all else, our people desire, and are determined to work for, peace on
正真正銘の同等のもの

earth--a just and lasting peace--based on genuine agreement freely arrived at by equals.
同じ考えのIn the pursuit of these aims, the United States and other like- minded nations findthemselves directly opposed by a regime with contrary aims and a totally different conceptof life.
固執する

主張する

That regime adheres to a false philosophy which purports to offer freedom, security, andgreater opportunity to mankind. Misled by that philosophy, many peoples have sacrificed
悲しみ

詐欺

侮辱

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 togovern himself, and therefore requires the rule of strong masters.
信念

Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as
不可侵のwell as the inalienable right, to govern himself with reason and justice.
～させる

Communism subjects the individual to arrest without lawful cause, punishment without
財産決定するtrial, and forced labor as the chattel of the state. It decrees what information he shallreceive, what art he shall produce, what leaders he shall follow, and what thoughts he shallthink.
Democracy maintains that government is established for the benefit of the individual, andis charged with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the individual and his freedom
行使in the exercise of those abilities of his.
Communism maintains that social wrongs can be corrected only by violence.

IIInaugural Address

Democracy has proved that social justice can be achieved through peaceful change.
Communism holds that the world is so widely divided into opposing classes that war isinevitable.
Democracy holds that free nations can settle differences justly and maintain a lasting peace.
These differences between communism and democracy do not concern the United States
問題になるのはalone. People everywhere are coming to realize that what is involved is material well-being,
human dignity, and the right to believe in and worship God.
I state these differences, not to draw issues of belief as such, but because the actions
resulting from the Communist philosophy are a threat to the efforts of free nations to bringabout world recovery and lasting peace.
Since the end of hostilities, the United States has invested its substance and its energy in agreat 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 noprivileges we would not extend to others.
We have constantly and vigorously supported the United Nations and related agencies as a手段means of applying democratic principles to international relations. We have consistently唱導する

advocated and relied upon peaceful settlement of disputes among nations.
We have made every effort to secure agreement on effective international control of ourmost powerful weapon, and we have worked steadily for the limitation and control of allarmaments.
指針

We have encouraged, by precept and example, the expansion of world trade on a soundand fair basis.
Almost a year ago, in company with 16 free nations of Europe, we launched the greatest
cooperative economic program in history. The purpose of that unprecedented effort is to
活力を与える

invigorate and strengthen democracy in Europe, so that the free people of that continentIII

Inaugural Address
取り戻す

最前線

can resume their rightful place in the forefront of civilization and can contribute once
more to the security and welfare of the world.
Our efforts have brought new hope to all mankind. We have beaten back despair and
敗北主義

defeatism . We have saved a number of countries from losing their liberty. Hundreds ofmillions of people all over the world now agree with us, that we need not have war--that wecan have peace.
主導権

The initiative is ours.
前進する

We are moving on with other nations to build an even stronger structure of international
order and justice. We shall have as our partners countries which, no longer solely
concerned with the problem of national survival, are now working to improve the standardsof living of all their people. We are ready to undertake new projects to strengthen a freeworld.

In the coming years, our program for peace and freedom will emphasize four major coursesof action.
ひるまない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. We believe that the United Nations will be strengthened by the newnations which are being formed in lands now advancing toward self-government underdemocratic principles.
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
挑戦program. We are confident of the success of this major venture in world recovery. We
believe that our partners in this effort will achieve the status of self-supporting nations onceagain.
In addition, we must carry out our plans for reducing the barriers to world trade andincreasing its volume. Economic recovery and peace itself depend on increased world trade.

IVInaugural Address

Third, we will strengthen freedom-loving nations against the dangers of aggression.
We are now working out with a number of countries a joint agreement designed tostrengthen the security of the North Atlantic area. Such an agreement would take the form
集団的防衛協定

of a collective defense arrangement within the terms of the United Nations Charter.
We have already established such a defense pact for the Western Hemisphere by the treatyof Rio de Janeiro.
The primary purpose of these agreements is to provide unmistakable proof of the joint
他の半球

determination of the free countries to resist armed attack from any quarter. Every country
participating in these arrangements must contribute all it can to the common defense.
If we can make it sufficiently clear, in advance, that any armed attack affecting our national
security would be met with overwhelming force, the armed attack might never occur.
～に関するI hope soon to send to the Senate a treaty respecting the North Atlantic security plan.
In addition, we will provide military advice and equipment to free nations which will
cooperate with us in the maintenance of peace and security.
Fourth, we must embark on a bold new program for making the benefits of our scientificadvances and industrial progress available for the improvement and growth ofunderdeveloped areas.
迫り来るMore than half the people of the world are living in conditions approaching misery. Their
原始的なfood is inadequate. They are victims of disease. Their economic life is primitive

and

停滞した

stagnant . Their poverty is a handicap and a threat both to them and to more prosperous
areas.
For the first time in history, humanity possesses the knowledge and skill to relieve sufferingof these people.
際立っている

The United States is pre- eminent among nations in the development of industrial andscientific techniques. The material resources which we can afford to use for assistance ofVInaugural Address
量ることができない

other peoples are limited. But our imponderable resources in technical knowledge are
無尽蔵constantly growing and are inexhaustible.
I believe that we should make available to peace-loving peoples the benefits of our store of願いtechnical knowledge in order to help them realize their aspirations for a better life. And, incooperation with other nations, we should foster capital investment in areas needing
development.
Our aim should be to help the free peoples of the world, through their own efforts, toproduce more food, more clothing, more materials for housing, and more mechanicalpower to lighten their burdens.
We invite other countries to pool their technological resources in this undertaking. Their
事業

contributions will be warmly welcomed. This should be a cooperative enterprise in which
all nations work together through the United Nations and its specialized agencies whenever
実施できる

practicable . It must be a worldwide effort for the achievement of peace, plenty, andfreedom.
With the cooperation of business, private capital, agriculture, and labor in this country, thisprogram can greatly increase the industrial activity in other nations and can raise
substantially their standards of living.
考案する

Such new economic developments must be devised and controlled to the benefit of the担保

peoples of the areas in which they are established. Guarantee s to the investor must be
保証balanced by guarantee s in the interest of the people whose resources and whose labor go
投入される

into these developments.
搾取する

The old imperialism-- exploitation for foreign profit--has no place in our plans. What weenvisage is a program of development based on the concepts of democratic fair-dealing.
All countries, including our own, will greatly benefit from a constructive program for thebetter use of the world's human and natural resources. Experience shows that ourcommerce with other countries expands as they progress industrially and economically.
Greater production is the key to prosperity and peace. And the key to greater production isa wider and more vigorous application of modern scientific and technical knowledge.

VIInaugural Address

幸運な人たちOnly by helping the least fortunate of its members to help themselves can the human
品位あるfamily achieve the decent, satisfying life that is the right of all people.
奮起させる

Democracy alone can supply the vitalizing force tostir

the peoples of the world into

輝かしいtriumphant action, not only against their human oppressors, but also against their ancientenemies--hunger, misery, and despair.
On the basis of these four major courses of action we hope to help create the conditions thatwill lead eventually to personal freedom and happiness for all mankind.
If we are to be successful in carrying out these policies, it is clear that we must havecontinued prosperity in this country and we must keep ourselves strong.
世 界 と い う

織 物 を編む

Slowly but surely we are weaving a world fabric of international security and growing
prosperity.
We are aided by all who wish to live in freedom from fear--even by those who live today infear under their own governments.
We are aided by all who want relief from lies and propaganda--those who desire truth andsincerity.
We are aided by all who desire self-government and a voice in deciding their own affairs.
富We are aided by all who long for economic security--for the security and abundance thatmen in free societies can enjoy.
We are aided by all who desire freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom to live
their own lives for useful ends.
正義というものの背後で

Our allies are the millions who hunger and thirst after righteousness.
やがて明らかなIn due time, as our stability becomes manifest, as more and more nations come to know
the benefits of democracy and to participate in growing abundance, I believe that those
誇大妄想

countries which now oppose us will abandon their delusions and join with the free nationsVIIInaugural Addressof the world in a just settlement of international differences.
Events have brought our American democracy to new influence and new responsibilities.
They will test our courage, our devotion to duty, and our concept of liberty.
～により勝るBut I say to all men, what we have achieved in liberty, we will surpass in greater liberty.
神

Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world where man's freedom
is secure.
決意の固さ

To that end we will devote our strength, our resources, and our firmness of resolve. WithGod's help, the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony, andpeace.

NOTE: The part of Italics isn’t taped.

VIII