Radio Address to the American People on Wages and Prices in the Reconversion Period. [Harry S. Truman Advance Press Copy Signed Presidential Address].

TRUMAN, Harry S.

$12,000.00

Item Number: 147625

Washington, D.C:, [October 30, 1945].

Exceptionally rare original advance press copy of the typed transcript of Truman’s historic October 30, 1945 prime time Presidential address: “Radio Address to the American People on Wages and Prices in the Reconversion Period” which outlines policies to be implemented by the American government following the surrender of Japan and the subsequent transition from war to peace; boldly signed by Truman. 8 pp (8 inches by 14 inches), typescript, dated October 30, 1945, boldly signed by Truman in the upper right portion of the first page. This speech draft was given to the press in advance of President Truman’s October 30, 1945 primetime radio address from the White House. In the headline area above the speech draft, White House official Eben A. Ayers urged the press to “Hold For Release.” Under the imperative subheadings “Confidential” and “Caution,” it is stated: “The following address of the President, to be broadcast from the White House, MUST BE HELD IN CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation may be published until delivery HAS BEGUN… Extreme care must be exercised to avoid premature publication…” In the speech, President Truman outlines his administration’s position regarding “reconversion,” that is, managing society’s transition from a wartime economy to a peacetime one. In this period of great and sudden changes, Truman singled out employment – and specifically wages – as the single most important factor in regulating the economy. The speech represented Truman’s inherent fairness: he methodically presented both post-war players’ arguments, first that of “labor,” and then that of “industry.” With Japan’s surrender and the end of the war, both sides must surmount considerable challenges, Truman stressed. Wartime booms and overtime pay were gone, squeezing workers. On the other hand, industrial complexes must be reconverted, entailing considerable cost. The President urged the nation to bring the same spirit of unity that it had fostered during World War II to post-war America; differences could and must be resolved.President Truman’s speech was motivated by an alarming uptick in the number of “labor difficulties of recent weeks.” Throughout October 1945, actual workers’ strikes, or the threat of strikes, had affected many sectors of the American economy, from electric utilities, aircraft and car manufacturers, and the soft coal and steel industries, to glass-makers, teamsters, shipwrights, and even employees of Warner Brothers’ movie studio. Toward the conclusion of his speech, President Truman announced that a labor-management conference would be held in Washington, D.C. on November 5, 1945. The conference, which was comprised of an equal number of representatives from both Labor and Industry, did not reach any resolutions after a frustrating three-weeks-long session. In the vacuum created by their lack of compromise, the Truman administration would eventually step in.

The typed transcript reads in part: “FELLOW CITIZENS: On August 18, 1945, four days after the surrender of Japan, I issued Executive Order 9599 which laid down the guiding policies of your Government during the transition from war to peace. Briefly stated these policies are: First, To assist in the maximum production of civilian goods. Second, As rapidly as possible to remove government controls and restore collective bargaining and free markets. Third, To avoid inflation and deflation. Those are still our policies. One of the major factors determining whether or not we shall succeed in carrying out those policies is the question of wages and prices… We must be on our guard, and steer clear of both these dangers [deflation and inflation] to our security… The fact is that all of us are deeply concerned with wages, because all of us are concerned with the well-being of all parts of our economic system. That is a simple truth. But like all simple truths, it is too often forgotten. Management sometimes forgets that business cannot prosper without customers who make good wages and have money in their pockets; labor sometimes forgets that workers cannot find employment and that wages cannot rise unless business prospers and makes profits. Like most of you, I have been disturbed by the labor difficulties in recent weeks. These difficulties stand in the way of reconversion; they postpone the day when our veterans and displaced war workers can get back into good peacetime jobs. We need more of the good sense, the reasonableness, the consideration for the position of the other fellow, the teamwork which we had during the war… When inflation comes and the cost of living begins to spiral, nearly everybody suffers… Therefore, whatever prices increases would have inflationary tendencies, we must above all else hold the line on prices. Let us hold vigorously to our defense against inflation. Let us continue to hold the price line as we have held it since the Spring of 1943… Labor must constantly find ways within its own ranks of cutting down on absenteeism, reducing turn-over, avoiding jurisdictional disputes and ‘wild-cat’ strikes. Labor and management must adopt collective bargaining as the effective and mature way of doing business… As a free people, we must have to good sense to bargain peaceably and sincerely. We must be determined to reach decisions based upon our long-range interest… I have boundless faith in the common sense and ultimate fairness of the American people. Given unity of purpose and a determination to meet the challenge of the times, there is nothing too difficult for them to accomplish. They have performed miracles during the war. They can, they will, surmount the difficulties which face them now on their road to continued peace and well-bring…” In very good condition with scattered pencil-annotated margin notes, presumably in the hand of a member of the press. There are clean, duplicate copies of pages 3 and 4 also included, for a total page count of 10, or 5 double-sided pages. Expected wear including toning, isolated wrinkles, and stray staple holes. A small area of loss to the upper corner of pages 7/8. And exceptional piece of American political history offering a rare glimpse into Truman’s leadership style, rhetoric, and the policies of his administration.

In October 1945, following the end of World War II, President Harry S. Truman faced the immense challenge of transitioning the United States from a wartime economy to a peacetime society while navigating the emerging complexities of the postwar world. Domestically, Truman emphasized the reintegration of millions of returning veterans, advocating for measures like the GI Bill to provide education and housing opportunities. Simultaneously, his administration focused on managing labor unrest as industries converted from military to civilian production. On the international front, Truman worked to solidify the United States’ leadership in shaping the new global order. He supported the establishment of the United Nations, signifying a commitment to multilateralism, and began formulating policies to counter the Soviet Union’s influence, setting the stage for the Cold War. These efforts reflected Truman’s pragmatic approach to balancing domestic stability with America’s expanding global responsibilities, marking a pivotal moment in both U.S. and world history.