Evening star., 1943-09-09
Text of Roosevelt Address

r. ~
The teTt OF President Roose-
Delts address last night in con-
nection tDith the Third War Loan
Driue tollo,Ds
Once upon time, a few years
ago, there was a city in our Middle
West which was threatened by a
destructive flood in the river. The
waters had risen to the top of the
banks. Every man, woman and child
in that city was called upon to fill
sand bags in order to defend their
homes against the rising waters. For
many days and nights, destruction
and death stared them in the face.
AS a result of the grim, deter
mined community effort, that city
still stands. Those people kept the
levees above the peak OF the flood.
All of them joined together in the
desperate job which had to be done
businessmen, workers, farmers,
doctors, preachers-people Of all
races.
To me, that town is living SYM
Dol of what community cooperation
can accomplish.
Today, in the same kind of COM
munity effort, the United Nations
and their people have kept the
levees of civilization high enough
to prevent the floods of aggression
and barbarism and wholesale mur-
der from engulfing us all. The flood
has been raging for four years. At
last, We are beginning to gain on
It, but the waters have not yet
receded enough for us to relax our
sweating work with the sand bags.
In this War bond campaign we are
filling bags and placing them against
the f1ood-bags which are essential
If we are to stand off the ugly tor
rent which is trying to sweep us all
away.
Victory for Italy, Too.
Today, an armistice with Italy
was concluded.
This was a great victory for the
United Nations-but it also was a
great victory for the Italian people.
After years of war and suffering
and degradation, the italian people
are at last coming to the day of lib
Grafton from their real enemies, the
Nazis.
But let us not delude ourselves
that this armistice means the end
of the war in the Mediterranean
We must drive the Germans out of
Italy as we have driven them out
OF Tunisia and Sicily; we must drive
them out of France and all other
captive countries; and we must
strike them on their own soil from
all directions.
Our ultimate objectives in this
war continue to be Berlin and
Toxic
l ask you to bear these detectives
constantly in mind-and do not for
get that we still have a long way
to go before attaining them.
The great news you have heard
today from Gen. Eisenhower does
not give you license to settle back
in your rocking chairs and say,
We'll that does it. We've got 'em
on the run. Now we can start the
celebration"
The time for celebration is not
yet. And I have a suspicion that
when this war does end, we shall
not be in very celebrating frame
of mind. think that our main
emotion will be one of grim deter
mination that this shall not happen
again.
Plans Fulfilled.
During the past weeks, Mr..
Churchill and I have been in con-
slant conference with the leaders of
our combined fighting forces. We
have been in constant communica-
ton with our fighting Allies, Russian
and Chinese, who are prosecuting
the war with relentless determina-
ton and with conspicuous success
on far distant fronts. And he and
I are together here at this crucial
moment.
We have seen the satisfactory full
hllment of plans that were made in
Casablanca last January and here
in Washington last May. And we