Now, Therefore, be it known that I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, acting pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes, including said section 350 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as so…

We may not know what is behind the Iron Curtain, but we do know that the intelligence of the people in the embattled democracies of Europe, who live in front of the Iron Curtain, is the world's best hope for peace today.

That Constitution gives us the ability to live together in peace.

You know, there is not a word in the English language that has been so severely abused during the last 10 years as that word democracy.

Neither of these totalitarian forms of government can survive examination by educated men and women--men and women free to search for the truth and imbued with the principles of liberty set forth in the preamble to the Constitution of the…

If our country is to retain its freedom in a world of conflicting political philosophies, we must take steps to assure that every American youth shall receive the highest level of training by which he can profit.

Education is our first line of defense.

A soundly conceived Federal scholarship program in our colleges and universities is a necessary step in attaining this goal.

I am convinced that only through making steady progress toward this goal can we be assured of serving our major objectives, the most effective organization of our armed forces, a full return on our defense dollar, and strengthened civilian…

I urge the Congress to give prompt consideration to these recommendations.

To this end, I recommended unification of the armed forces to the Congress in December, 1945.

I have concluded that the National Security Resources Board, which is charged with advising me concerning the coordination of such overall mobilization planning, is the appropriate agency which should also exercise leadership in civil…

Under present conditions the essential need of the Federal Government in the area of civil defense is peacetime planning and preparation for civil defense in the event of war, rather than operation of a full-scale civil defense program.

In order to do that successfully, I must have the backing of people such as you, and organizations such as the one that you belong to.

I appreciate your interest in what is taking place in the Government.

Early action on these measures is desirable to strengthen this Government's resources for achieving its international objectives.

I have recently given considerable attention to the question of the appropriate organization of the executive branch for civil defense.

I would like the Board's recommendations concerning necessary actions, including any legislative proposals which may need early attention.