Evening star., 1946-01-04

Following Is the teTt OF the
address OF President Truman,
broadcast last night.
Fellow Americans:
As you all know, 1t is the constitu-
tional duty of the President to re-
port to the Congress annually or
the state of the Union. That regu.
lar report will be made to the Con-
gress soon after it reconvenes.
Tonight. I am speaking directly
to you-the American people-on
issues which will be the subject OF
debate when the Congress recon-
venes.
Nineteen hundred and forty-sis
is our year of decision. This
year we lay the foundation of ouI
economic structure which will have
to serve for generations. This year
we must decide whether or not we
shall devote our strength to reach
ing the goal of fun production and
full employment. This year we shall
have to make the decisions which
will determine whether or not we
gain that great future at home and
abroad which we fought so valantly
to achieve.
Sees Difficult Months.
wish I could say to you that
everything is in perfect order-that
we are on the way to eternal pros
perity. I cannot.
The months ahead will be difficult
We are we'll along the road toward
our goal, but at every turn we run
the risk of coming upon a barrier
which can stop us.
In the message'Nto the Congress
on September 6, l945. and in other
messages, I have outlined legislative
proposals to meet the problems
which lie ahead. Many of these
proposals are pending before the
Congress. A few have been adopted
Progress on most of them has been
diStressingly slow.
Now at the beginning of this new
year, is a good time to take stock.
First, I can say with emphasis
that the legislative branch of our
Government has done its full share
toward carrying out its response
bility III foreign affairs.
Points to Foreign Policy.
The Congress has approved the
Charter of the United Nations Or
gaflization. It has provided for full
participation by the United States
1t has continued the program O.
reciprocal trade agreements. 1t has
approved participation in the United
Nations Food Organization. It has
passed legislation carrying out the
Breton Woods Agreement. It has
provided support to the United Ma
tions Relief and Rehabilitation Ad-
ministration.
The Congress is indeed to be con-
graduated by the people on all that
it has contributed toward co-opera-
ton among the nations of the
world in their search for peace and
security. I shall have more to say
about the foreign policy of the
United States in the annual mes
sage to the Congress.
When we turn to our domestic
problems, we do not find a similar
record of achievement and prog
ress in the Congress.
And yet our domestic postwar
problems are just as serious and
In many wayS-just as difficult as
our international problems. Unless
we can soon meet the need of OBJ
tanning full production and employ
ment at home, we shall face seri-
Gus consequences. They will be seri-
GUS not only in what they mean to
the American people as such, but
also in what they can do to our
position as a leader among the
nations of the world.
>Outlines Domestic Goals,
With the surrender of Japan last
August, we set certain domestic
goals to be attained. The tasks
before us we're clear then; they are
clear now.
We had to reconvert our eco
nomy from war to peace-as rapid
ly as possible.
We bad to keep employment and
wages and purchasing power on =
high level during the change-over
We had to keep the prices of com
nodities from going up too high
We shad to get civilian goods pro-
duced and put upon the market
promptly.
In other words our primary aim
was to bring about an expanded
production and steady, well-paid
jobs and purchasing power for all
who wanted to work-high farm in
come-and good profits based on
big volume.
Sees Every Citizen Aided.
Reaching that goal means better
homes, better food, better health
better education and security fol
every citizen of the United States
1t means bigger and steadier mar
kets for business. 1t means worlC
confidence in our leadership.
We have gone long way in get
ting our workers and factories back
on peacetime jobs. War plants have
been cleared in large numbers, ano
their war contracts settled. Men
machines and raw materials are al.
ready back in peacetime production
In greater numbers, and are produc-
Ing more goods, than any one of u
dared to expect a few months ago.
But we are long way from oul
goal
The return of the United State.
to a peacetime economy in 1916 re.
aulres the same cooperation thai
we had during the war years. In
dustry, labor, agriculture. the Con.
gress, the President-each of these
is called upon to do certain things
None of them can do the job alone
Together they can.
War Stimulus Disappears.
There is one vast difference, how
ever, between 1941 and 1916. While
we were producing to meet the need
of war, we had the great stimulus
OF the war itself That stimulus il
now gone. The cooperation ant
teamwork in some quarters, 1 an
sorry to say, have suffered proper
tionately.
The reconversion period through