Evening star., 1950-11-07
Text of Trumon's Speech at independence

The teTt OF President Tru-
mans address in Independence,
Mo-, yesterday afternoon folloUs.
I am glad to be with you today,
and to join in accepting this
Liberty Bell.
This bell comes to the people of
Independence as a gift from the
people of Annecy, France. An
necy is a city in eastern France.
near the Alps. It is not far from
the Vosges Mountains, where the
10th Field Artilery-in which I
had the honor of serving-fought
t in the First World. War, and
where good many American boys
fought in the Second World War
In both those wars, the people of
the United States and the people
of France fought on the same side
ON the side of freedom.
Today. the people of France
and the people of the United
States are still on the same side
the side of freedom
The freedom we believe in Is
symbolized by this bell.
This bell is an exact replica of
the Liberty Bell in Independence
Hall in Philadelphia.
When the Liberty Bell rang out
in Philadelphia in 1776. the men
who heard it had just pledged
their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honor to the cause
of freedom. They were willing to
fight for the right to live as free
men. They were not afraid to
stand up to tyrants and say: We
are going to govern ourselves.
The spirit Of the American revo-
luton has guided this Nation ever
since 1776. We have continued to
work-and to fight when neces-
sary-for the revolutionary prin-
ciples of human freedom and
political equality.
Others Fought for Freedom.
! Those principles are the hope of
the world today. Men all over
the world are eagerly striving for
/ freedom and the right to govern
themselves. And we in the United
States are strongly supporting
them-because that is the way to
peace.
Other nations, too, have fought
for freedom. A few years after
our own Revolution. the French
Revolution was fought to over
throw a tyrant and establish a
government of the people.
Today, France and many other
free nations are joined with us to
work for peace based on freedom
and justice.
Today, the nations and peoples
who believe in freedom face bit
ter enemy. We are confronted by
Communist imperialism "a re-
dictionary movement that despises
liberty and is the mortal foe of
personal freedom. The threat of
Communist aggression is a con-
tinuing menace to world peace.
| We are meeting that threat in
the only way it can be met-by
building up the combined strength
of the free world. The free ma
tions must stand together and
help one another. if freedom is
to survive.
| Our objective is to achieve a
peace based on agreement among
nations. This is what the United
Nations is working for.
The United States stands today,
and always has stood, for the
settlement of differences among
nations by peaceful means. I am
convinced that most of the other
countries in the world stand for
/ the same thing.
| But there are some nations in
| the world who have not been will
ing to have it that way. The
leaders of Communist imperialism
have chosen to follow the path of
aggression. Through threats and
/ through the use of force, they are
seeking to impose their will upon
peoples all over the world.
| Must Build Strength.
| So long as they persist in that
course, the free nations have but
one choice If they are to remain
free. They must oppose strength
with strength.
The free nations are doing this.
They are joining together to build
up common defenses against the
menace of Communist aggression.
This work is going forward on
many fronts.
The determination of the free
nations to poll their strength
against aggression has been shown
| in Korea.
Korea is proof that freedom can
survive If the peoples who cherish
it stand together. The common
victory against aggression in
Korea is evidence that the free
nations will not let Communist
imperialism swallow up free
peoples one by one.
| But the common defense of the
free nations is more than mill