Harry Truman

The report of the Civil Service Commission transmitted herewith reflects a year of constructive development in the field of public personnel administration.

You asked me in your letter to speak for you and all the other housewives, who aren't represented here in Washington by any lobby organization.

Since the time of the initial formulation of the recommendations, however, the economic control program enacted by the Congress has developed to the point where new considerations are imposed.

It is a pleasure for me to greet you this morning, and in the name of your country.

This order shall be effective in any case in which the shipment of household goods and personal effects commences on or after March 5, 1951.

It certainly is a pleasure to welcome you here today.

This would be a highly undesirable result for the future of both programs.

We are most happy to have the papers that circulate among the citizens outside of Paris, let me say, to come over here and find out just exactly how friendly we feel to that great republic of yours.

Our aim has been to expand coverage of social insurance and gradually reduce the need for supplementary public assistance programs.

Especially was she highly pleased with the cordiality of the reception which the great President of France gave her.

I hope you have a most pleasant visit here, and if you have any daughters who need entertaining in the United States, just let me know.

At the very least, average benefits from insurance should be as high as average payments under public assistance.

I hereby exempt the said Herbert E. Gaston from compulsory retirement for age for an indefinite period of time not extending beyond June 30, 1955, the date on which his present term of office expires.

If public assistance payments are now to be increased, then old age and survivors insurance benefits should also be increased to at least an equal degree.

Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.

I also want to thank you most sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, for the most cordial reception which you gave to my daughter on her tourist trip to France.

Any legislation to increase public assistance payments should take account of the relationship between those payments and the amounts paid under our old age and survivors insurance system.

They are expecting to work together to see if we can meet this situation as promptly as possible in every manner that is necessary to alleviate suffering, and to put the community back on its feet again.

We have just made an investigation of the flood situation from St. Louis to Salina, Kans., and from Salina to Miami, Okla. And it is one of the worst disasters, I think, that the country has ever suffered from water.

DURING the past year the French and American peoples have made heavy sacrifices for liberty.

We must never forget that the fundamental purpose of our Government is to protect the rights of individual citizens and one of the highest obligations of the Government is to see that those rights are protected in its own operations.

THE CONTINUATION of these joint efforts will assure peace because it will discourage aggression.

The present situation does not make for good administration.

I WISH also to congratulate you on the progress, thanks in considerable part to French initiative, in the development of a closer community relationship among the free nations of Europe and the North Atlantic community in both the economic…

ON THE OCCASION of your national holiday, I wish to extend to you, Mr. President, and to the French people the heartiest best wishes and congratulations of the American people.