Rom President Truman's First Address to Congress

April 16, 1945

Tragic fate has thrust upon us grave responsibilities. We must carry on. Our departed leader never looked backward. He looked forward and moved forward. That is what he would want us to do. That is what America will do. So much blood has already been shed for the ideals which we cherish, and for which Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived and died, that we dare not permit even a momentary pause in the hard fight for victory.

Today, the entire world is looking to America for enlightened leadership to peace and progress. Such a leadership requires vision, courage and tolerance. It can be provided only by a united nation deeply devoted to the highest ideals. With great humility I call upon all Americans to help me keep our nation united in defense of those ideals which have been so eloquently proclaimed by Franklin Roosevelt. I want in turn to assure my fellow Americans and all of those who love peace and liberty throughout the world that I will support and defend those ideals with all my strength and all my heart. That is my duty and I shall not shirk it.

So that there can be no possible misunderstanding, both Germany and Japan can be certain, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that America will continue the fight for freedom until no vestige of resistance remains! We are deeply conscious of the fact that much hard fighting is still ahead of us. Having to pay such a heavy price to make complete victory certain, America will never become a party to any plan for partial victory! To settle for merely another temporary respite would surely jeopardize the future security of all the world. Our demand has been, and it remains—Unconditional Surrender!

We will not traffic with the breakers of the peace on the terms of the peace. The responsibility for making of the peace—and it is a very grave responsibility—must rest with the defenders of the peace. We are not unconscious of the dictates of humanity. We do not wish to see unnecessary or unjustified suffering. But the laws of God and of man have been violated and the guilty must not go unpunished. Nothing shall shake our determination to punish the war criminals even though we must pursue them to the ends of the earth. Lasting peace can never be secured if we permit our dangerous opponents to plot future wars with impunity at any mountain retreat—however distant. In this shrinking world, it is futile to seek safety behind geographical barriers. Real security will be found only in law and in justice.

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Drag the tiles to the boxes to form correct pairs.

What is the author's purpose of each paragraph in the address? Match the purpose to the correct paragraph number.

to warn that only the victors can

dictate how peace is established

and how justice is carried out

to promise uninterrupted continuation

of the previous administration's

duties and struggles

to remind all Americans to stay

engaged in the effort to secure

peace and liberty worldwide

to clarify that an end to the present

world conflict can only come with

complete allied victory

Purpose

Paragraph2

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4