Evening star., 1946-07-04

Promised Fi|ipinos
In Truman Message
The teTt OF President Trun,ans
message broadcast to the Philip
pine people by the State Depart
n,entS international broddcdSting
diuision. tollo,Os:
To the people of the Philippines:
am indeed happy to be able to
join with you in the formal inau-
guration of the Republic of the
Philippines.
This is proud day for our two
countries. For the Philippines It'll
marks the end of centuries old
struggle for freedom. For the
United States it marks the end of
period of almost so years of CO.
operation with the Philippines look
ing toward independence.
Now the new republic faces the
problems of independent nation
hood. These problems will be diff
cult and trying. The road to in
dependence has not been an easy
one. The road of independence will
likewise not be an easy one. The
mettle Of a people, the mettle of a
nation, are on trial before the world.
U. S. Faith Expressed.
But the United States has faith
in the ability and in the determina-
ton of the Philippine people to solve
the problems confronting their
country. The men who defied Ma
gellan, who fought for republic
in 1898 and who were recently on
Bataan, Corregidor and at hun
dred other unsung battle grounds in
the Philippines flung back the
Japanese challenge, will not lack
the courage which is necessary to
make government work in peace as
we'll as in war The will to succeed,
am sure, will continue to govern
the actions of the Philippines
people
The United States, moreover, will
continue to assist the Philippines in
every way possible. A formal COM
pact is being dissolved. The COM
pact of faith and understanding be-
tween the two peoples can never be
dissolved. We recognize the fact
and propose to do an within our
power to make Philippine independ-
ence effective and meaningful.
Our two countries will be closely
bound together for many years to
come. We of the United States feel
that we are merely entering into
new partnership with the Philip
pines-a partnership of two free and
sovereign nations working in har-
mony and understanding.
Example to World.
The United States and its partner
of the Pacific, the Philippines Re-
public, have already charted a pat
tern of relationships for all the
world to study. Together in the
future our two countries must prove
the soundness and the wisdom of
this great experiment In Pacific
democracy.
May God protect and preserve the
Republic of the Philippines!
In separate statement, Mr..
Truman expressed confidence
that the Filipino people wiH meet
the challenge OF independence
",Cith courage and determine
ton" The statement touous:.
The independence achieved today
by the Philippines comes after a Pc
riod of 48 years of American SOW
ereignty over the islands.
Throughout this period it has been
the consistently expressed policy OF
this Government, as revealed in the
instructions of President Mckinley
to the Philippine Commission, the
Jones law and the Tydings- -McDuf1ie |
law to prepare the people of the
Philippines for independence
An ever-increasing measure of |
self government has been granted to |
the Filipino people as year after year
they demonstrated their capacity for
democratic self f-government.
With independence the republic
of the Philippines is admittedly con-
fronted with many difficult prob
lens. Almost any new nation facing
independence would be confronted
with similar problems.
I am confident, however, that the
Filipino people will meet the chal-
lenge of independence with courage
and determination. The United
States stands ready to assist the
Philippines in every way possible
during the years to come. Togetn-
er, solutions will be found for the
problems which the Philippines will
encounter.
1t is more than symbolic that our
two countries should be jointly Gel
ebrating July as independence
Day. 1t is my hope that each sue
ceeding July will constitute mile
stone of progress along the path of
mutual cooperation for the achieve
ment of international understand
ing and well-being.