Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-01-09

President Truman, in a pI
; Nation address before a joint
women to our armed forces. The
, total is now nearly 3.5 million
! We have made rapid progress ir
!. the field of atomic weapons. We
= have turned out SIG billion worth
, OF military supplies and equip.
ment. three times as much az
the year before.
Economic Conditions Good.
Economic conditions in the
|. country are good. There are 81
million people on the job; wages
farm incomes and business profits
are at high levels. Total produc-
ton of goods and services in ou1
country has increased 8 per cent
over the last year-about twice
the normal rate of growth.
Perhaps the most amazing
thing about our economic prog
ress is the way we are increasing
|, our basic capacity to produce. For
, example, we are now in the Sec
ond year of a three-year pro-
gram which will double our output
/. OF aluminium, increase our electric
power supply by 40 per cent and
increase our Steel-making capac-
ity by Is per cent. We can then
produce 100 million tons of steel
a year, as much as the rest of the
world put together.
This expansion will mean more
jobs and higher standards of liv-
ing for all of us in the year ahead.
At the present time, 1t means
greater strength for us and for
the rest of the free world in the
fight for peace.
i Now. I must turn to the debit
side of the ledger for the past
year.
The outstanding fact to note
on the debit side of the ledger
is that the Soviet Union, in 1851,
continued to expand its military
production and increase it's al
ready excessive military power.
1t is true that the Soviets have
run into increasing difficulties.
Their hostile policies have awak-
ened stern resistance among free
men throughout the world. And
behind the Iron Curtain, the So
Wet rule of force has created
growing political and economic
stresses in the satellite nations.
Nevertheless, the grim fact re-
mains that the Soviet Union is
increasing its armed might. It is
still producing more war planes
than the free nations. It has SET
of two more atomic explosions
The world still walks in the
shadow of another world war.
And here at home, our defense
preparations are far from COM
plete.
During 1851, we did not make
adequate progress in building ur
!. civil defense against atomic at.
tack. This is a major weakness ir
our plans for peace, since made
quate civilian defense is an open
invitation to surprise attack. Fail
ure to provide adequate civilian
defense has the same effect as
adding to the enemy's supply of
atom bombs.
Delays in Defense Production.
In the field of defense produc-
ton, we have run into difficulties
and delays in designing and pro-
ducing the latest types of air.
planes and tanks. Some machine
tools and metals are still in ex-
tremely short supply.
In other free countries, the de-
Tense build-up has created severe
economic problems. 1t has in
creased imitation in Europe ano
has endangered the continued re-
covery of our allies.
In the Middle East, politica,
) tensions and the oil controversy
in Iran are keeping the region ir
a turmoil. In the Far East, the
dark threat of Communist i'm.
perialiSm still hangs over MANY
5 nations.
This, very briefly, is the gooc
side and the bad side of the pic.
> ture.
Taking the good and bad to-
gether, we have made real prog.
ress this last year along the roac
/. to peace. We have increased the
= power and unity of the FREE
world. And while we were doins
this, we have avoided world wal
= on the one hand, and appease.
ment on the other. This Is a hare
} road to follow, but the events Of
E the last year show that it is the
: right road to peace.
v We cannot expect to complete
the job overnight. The free ma.
!. tons may have to maintain fol
a years the larger military force.
i needed to deter aggression. W.
!. must build steadily, over a perios
= of years, toward political soil.
d darity and economic progress.
among the free countries in al
o parts of the world.
d Our task will not be easy; but
), If we go at it with a will we car
e look forward to steady progress
d On our side are all the grea
It resources of freedom-the ideal
= Of religion and democracy, tn,
: aspirations Of people for a bette
e life, and the industrial and tech
nical power of q free civilization
d These advantages outweigh any
d thing the slave world can produce