Armistice Day, 1946 (11-11-46)

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PROCLAMATION 2710
Armistice Day, 1946

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 28, 1946

WHEREAS the Armistice of November 11, 1918, silenced the guns of World War I and brought to humanity hope and promise that the wars of nation against nation were at an end; and

WHEREAS although that hope and promise were shattered by the Axis aggressors in World War II, the American people are nevertheless resolved to keep faith with the heroes of both wars who sacrificed so valorously for the ideal of lasting peace; and

WHEREAS the anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 provides a challenge to rededicate ourselves to the attainment of that ideal; and

WHEREAS the Congress, by a concurrent resolution of June 4, 1928 (44 Stat. 1982), requested the President to issue a proclamation calling upon officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies; and by an act of May 13, 1938 (52 Stat. 351), provided that the eleventh day of November in each year should be celebrated and known as Armistice Day and should be a legal holiday:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby call upon the people of the United States to observe November 11, 1946, as Armistice Day by honoring their fellow countrymen who fought across the seas, and by renewing their determination and their efforts to establish a lasting peace; and I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all Government buildings on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this twenty-eighth day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-first.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:
JAMES F. BYRNES,
Secretary of State.

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The Pittsburgh Press (November 11, 1946)

Truman: Peace sole goal of U.S.

WASHINGTON (UP) – President Truman, in Armistice Day services, today said that the United States wants nothing from present world negotiations except peace.

“The welfare of the United States and the welfare of the world are wrapped up in one package – peace,” the president said at Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr. Truman led the nation in the 28th observance of the day that marks the end of World War I, laying a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Noting that peace efforts after World War I failed, Mr. Truman added: “What we are trying to do now is to create a peace which will prevent the necessity of our grandchildren fighting a third World War for the same principles for which we stand now, and have always stood.”

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The Pittsburgh Press (November 12, 1946)

Editorial: Statesmanlike

President Truman’s Armistice Day declaration was a calm appraisal of the current political situation and a statesmanlike plea for cooperation and reciprocity between the executive and legislative branches of the government. First response from victorious Republican leaders was in like spirit.

That is well. For this nation, after all the turmoil of war, strikes and other forms of fighting, yearns, we believe, for an era of good feelings.

Various domestic issues demand attention, and these inevitably will provoke partisan divisions, as they did in the campaign and in the last Congress. Ours is not a one-party government, and issues must be clarified and harmonized by debate and examination.

But the demand of the times is for constructive action. An exhibition of partisanship for partisan advantage will not be good politics on the part of either Congress or the White House.

In foreign affairs, as Mr. Truman has said, a well-charted course has been laid out through a policy developed and executed on a bipartisan basis. As it applies to the European situation, we believe that policy has the overwhelming support of the American people and the respect of most other nations. Any sharp deviation from it could weaken our international prestige and do injury to world peace and security.

But beyond Europe lies the Orient, where a clarification of the American position too long has been delayed. We have pursued a vacillating, uncertain course in China, and there has been occasional evidence that certain elements in the State Department are not in sympathy with General MacArthur’s firm policy in Japan.

An examination of these situations is in order, with the view to squaring our policy there with our policy in Europe. Some partisan prodding here would be helpful and constructive.