[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H3588-H3593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HARRY S TRUMAN FEDERAL BUILDING
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3639) to designate the Federal building located at 2201 C
Street, Northwest, in the District of Columbia, currently headquarters
for the Department of State, as the ``Harry S Truman Federal
Building'', as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3639
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The Federal building located at 2201 C Street, Northwest,
in the District of Columbia, currently headquarters for the
Department of State, shall be known and designated as the
``Harry S Truman Federal Building''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the Federal building
referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to
the ``Harry S Truman Federal Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr.
Oberstar) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
[[Page H3589]]
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I am very pleased to move this measure directly to the floor today
to honor a truly great American.
Harry Truman was an improbable president, who never sought this high
office, but who rose to the occasion when asked by circumstance beyond
his control.
If anyone has any doubt whatsoever about him being a great president,
I would suggest that they read David McCullough's biography, Truman,
which is an extraordinary biography, and which makes it very, very
clear that this American rose from very humble beginnings to make some
of the most significant decisions of the 20th Century.
He grew up in Missouri in a farm family, was a farmer himself for
many years. During World War I, he became an artillery officer and
served at the front for over 6 months. Indeed, in Mr. McCullough's
wonderful book he describes how Harry Truman was having difficulty
passing the eye test and so he memorized the eye chart so he could
serve his country.
During the 1920's, and until his election to the United States
Senate, he was a county judge, the equivalent of what in many of our
States we call county commissioners. He championed a road construction
program in his county and, indeed, later, when he was elected Senator,
he helped draft the Transportation Act of 1940 as well as the
Aeronautics Act of 1938.
During the time he presided as president, he indeed presided over the
fall of Germany, the ultimate surrender of Japan, and he made the
historic decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which
many say saved as many as a million American lives.
While the world was recovering from the war, he urged the creation of
the United Nations and set forth the Truman doctrine, a policy that
supports free people who resist communism. And Greece is free today
probably because of his decision.
During his first administration, he presided over the massive Berlin
airlift. And I saw on a TV show just in the past few weeks where his
whole cabinet was virtually unanimously opposed to continuing the
Berlin airlift, but he made this decision by himself and overruled his
cabinet so that we could keep that city free.
He approved the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, urged the
recognition of Israel, promoted the four-point program for foreign aid,
and authorized our entry into the Korean conflict.
He has earned the praise of both Republicans and Democrats. And it
seems as each year goes by, as historians measure this American, he
rises in the judgment and in the eyes not only of historians but of the
American people.
There is no monument to this great president and designating the
State Department headquarters in Washington is most fitting for this
true visionary and great American, and I am very pleased to be able to
bring this legislation to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to express at the outset my great appreciation to the chairman
for moving so expeditiously on this matter. The naming of the building
has been requested by a number of our colleagues and, in particular, by
the Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, who has been a vigorous
advocate for naming the State Department building after one of our
truly great heroes in American history.
On April 12, 1945, most of us can remember, those who remember back
that far, what we were doing on that particular day. I know exactly
where I was sitting in my little hometown of Chisholm. Vice President
Harry Truman was just off the House floor, one floor below, in what was
known as the Board of Education Room, sharing a moment with Speaker Sam
Rayburn.
Word came from the White House Press Secretary, Steve Early, to get
over to the White House immediately. Truman saw the urgency of that
message, left, and there at the White House he learned from First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt of the President's unexpected and untimely death.
After a few silent moments, he asked Eleanor Roosevelt if there was
anything he could do for her.
{time} 1515
Shaking her head, she said, ``Is there anything we can do for you?
You are the one in trouble now.'' Well, that underscored or maybe in a
very quiet way stated what a lot of people believed that maybe Harry
Truman was not ready to be President.
There is a companion story that when Truman was elected and took his
seat in the United States Senate, he said to friends, I looked around
and I saw names like Carter Glass, Robinson, Patman, this Patman in the
House, others, and he said, what am I doing here? And after about 6
months on the floor of the United States Senate, he looked around and
he said, what are they doing here? That was Harry Truman.
There was one subject that Harry Truman's lifetime biographer Merle
Miller wrote in Plain Speaking, one subject on which Mr. Truman was not
going to have second thoughts: it was the bomb.
The bomb had ended the war. ``If we had had to invade Japan, half a
million soldiers on both sides would have been killed and a million
more would have been maimed for life. It was simple as that. That was
all there was to it. And Mr. Truman had never lost any sleep over that
decision.''
Well, yes. And since Mr. Truman had made the decision to drop the
bomb all by himself, no one else was around when he made up his mind.
And that also characterized Harry Truman.
When 1948 came along and he was running for election as President, he
had taken some very strong positions. And, as we all know, he had asked
for a fair employment practice commission and asked for a permanent
commission on civil rights and was told, if he did that, if he
persisted with his plan, some Southerners would walk out. And ``I
said,'' Mr. Truman commented, ``if that happened, it would be a pity.
But I had no intention of running on a watered-down platform that said
one thing and meant another; and the platform I did run on and was
elected on went straight down the line on civil rights. People said I
ought to pussyfoot around, that I shouldn't say anything that would
lose the Wallace vote and nothing that would lose the Southern vote.
But I didn't pay any attention to that. I said what I thought had to be
said. You can't divide the country up into sections and have one rule
for one section and one rule for another. And you can't encourage
people's prejudices. You have to appeal to people's best instincts, not
their worst ones. You may win an election or so by doing the other, but
it does a lot of harm to the country.''
That is Harry Truman, plain speaking, plain and simple, one of
America's great heroes.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).
Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the time
and for bringing this bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to join the gentleman from Missouri (Mr.
Skelton) to introduce the bill to name the Headquarters Building of the
U.S. State Department for our Nation's 33rd President and Missouri's
favorite son, Harry S Truman.
The ``Man From Independence'' was a man from middle America, a man
like millions of others at the beginning of the 20th century. He
reflected America's farms and small towns. He understood poverty and
hard work. He valued education and read book after book from the
Independence Public Library. He later would observe that there was not
much left in human nature that one could not find in Plutarch's Lives
in a community where not lots of people had read Plutarch's Lives.
He valued his parents. His love for his wife Bess and their daughter
Margaret was unquestioned. His family was most important to him.
He was a man who understood courage, not as a philosophical
abstraction, but by facing, along with those he commanded, artillery
fire at night, in the mud, in the rain in France during World War I.
Truman was a farmer and a small businessman who struggled to make a
living on the farm and from a retail store. Then this farmer, small
businessman, volunteer soldier helped create a vision for America's
place in the
[[Page H3590]]
world that was far different from that imagined by those who had gone
before him and shaped American foreign policy for decades.
If there is one word that describes this native of Lamar, Missouri,
it was ``courage.'' Physical courage allows one to rally his troops
late at night in the face of open fire the way he did in the forests of
France. He proved he had that kind of courage. But Truman also had the
courage of his convictions.
It was his courage of convictions that catapulted him to the ranks
today of one of the greatest Presidents of our history. He willingly
rejected conventional wisdom at the end of World War II and led the
free world to provide for the effective rebuilding of Japan and Germany
rather than trying to crush their national identities.
Truman knew the sacrifices and heroism of African American soldiers,
sailors, and airmen. His convictions said that these men and women were
not being treated properly. His courage allowed him to cast aside
decades of prejudice to order that the U.S. Armed Forces would be no
longer segregated, a decision he made more than 20 years before the
Civil Rights Act passed this House.
The ``Man From Independence'' was known for being a leader to defend
the Constitution. His courage allowed him to stand toe to toe with
General Douglas MacArthur and ensure that constitutional separation of
civilian and military power was upheld.
Even in this age when it has become fashionable to denounce the
decisions of past leaders, I believe it was the courage of Truman's
convictions that allowed him to make one of the most far-reaching
decisions of the 20th century, which the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr.
Oberstar) has already mentioned, and bring an end to World War II.
As America enters the new century as the undisputed leader of the
world, our foreign policy must be driven by our convictions about
peace, about justice, about freedom. But conviction alone is never
enough. President Harry Truman had convictions, but he also had the
courage to put those convictions into practice, even when others
doubted and criticized him.
Commemorating the memory of this great President by naming the
headquarters of the State Department can send an important signal to
the rest of the community of nations. First, America is built on a
strong bedrock of convictions which come from all its citizens, not
just from those born rich and powerful. Second, we do have the courage
to put those convictions into practice; and both our determination and
our courage need to be understood by the nations of the world.
Naming the headquarters of the State Department after my fellow
Missourian, Harry Truman, is another way to send that message to the
world. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), who is the principal advocate and
relentless advocate for this legislation.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that H.R. 3639 has come before
the House. This bill, which I introduced along with my fellow
Missourian (Mr. Blunt), would name the State Department Headquarters
Building in honor of our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman.
I especially thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and
the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for bringing this bill to
the floor.
I came to personally know President Truman through my father, Ike
Skelton, Sr., who developed a friendship with him some 71 years ago at
the dedication of the Pioneer Mother Statue, the Madonna of the Trail,
located in my hometown of Lexington, Missouri. Through the years, I
developed my own friendship with this genuinely nice person we call the
``Man From Independence.''
President Truman was a man of strong personal character who held deep
regard for his country and for the American people. He was a man of
great devotion to his wife and life-long sweetheart Bess and to his
daughter Margaret Truman Daniel. He was politically courageous, and
during the critical years that ended and followed World War II, Harry
Truman was faced with many difficult and often politically unpopular
decisions. However, he faced these obstacles head on and established a
foreign policy that guided the United States of America through the
duration of the cold war.
Most importantly, Truman guided the United States away from our
established pattern of peacetime isolationism in order to assist
European economic recovery and security.
During his presidency, Truman launched the Marshall Plan and
established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under which Western
Europe remains protected to this day.
President Truman also displayed significant courage in standing up to
the communist aggression that marked the beginning of the cold war. The
Truman Doctrine made it clear that the United States would not stand
idly by in the face of communist aggression. Truman's commitment to the
democratic rights of free people was also made clear as the U.S.
provided essential supplies to the people of Berlin during the Soviet
blockage and when Truman made the agonizing decision to use American
troops to lead the United Nations resistance to the communist invasion
of South Korea. These actions earned the praise of British Prime
Minister Winston Churchill, who said to Truman, ``You, more than any
other man, have saved Western Civilization.''
Harry Truman understood well the importance of America's effective
diplomacy as a complement to our strong economy and military forces.
Time and time again during his presidency, President Truman spoke
eloquently to the American people about the lessons of history and the
responsibilities of leadership.
In 1947, Truman said, ``We have learned by the costly lessons of two
world wars that what happens beyond our shores determines how we live
our own lives. We have learned that, if we want to live in freedom and
security, we must work with all the world for freedom and security.''
America is truly grateful that the right leader was in the right
place when President Franklin Roosevelt's extraordinary life ended.
Associating Harry S. Truman's name with the United States Department of
State is a fitting tribute to him. He contributed so much to the
American people and to the citizens of the world. I am proud to say he
will always be Missouri's favorite son.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Missouri (Ms. McCarthy).
(Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri asked and was given permission to revise
and extend her remarks.)
Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today in
support of this measure. I join my colleagues in saluting Missouri's
favorite son and one of this Nation's most popular Presidents, Harry
Truman.
I have a deep personal interest in the life and legacy of President
Truman because I represent Independence, Missouri, where Truman
launched his career in public service as Jackson County presiding
judge. His famed presidential library and his childhood home and farm
are located in my congressional district.
Harry Truman distinguished himself as a plain spoken leader who cared
about people. He has been a model to me in my service to the people of
Missouri.
I have a replica of the message that President Truman had on his
presidential desk, which reads, ``The buck stops here.'' It is a
constant reminder of his goal to maintain common sense and service to
the people and helped him to prevail during the many difficult global
situations he faced during his presidency.
In his inaugural address, he outlined an unprecedented foreign policy
agenda. Last year, I was able to join in witnessing the expansion of
the Truman foreign policy legacy at the Truman Presidential Library. We
commemorated the 50th anniversary of NATO, which he created. And in the
spirit of Harry Truman, NATO was expanded to include representation
from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.
The naming of the U.S. State Department Building after President
Truman is really one the most appropriate and meaningful tributes this
Congress can make in his memory. May every individual who enters the
State Department Building be inspired by the many
[[Page H3591]]
national and foreign policy accomplishments of Harry Truman.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3639,
and I ask that we honor President Truman, this legendary leader, who
has left such a tremendous great legacy to those of us who continue to
work so hard to make possible the leadership and the greatness that our
country commands today.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today in support of H.R. 3639, a
bill to designate the U.S. State Department building as the Harry S.
Truman Federal Building. I join my colleagues in saluting Missouri's
favorite son and one of this Nation's most popular Presidents, Harry
Truman.
Choosing to name the U.S. Department of State after President Truman
is a fitting tribute to the man who helped end isolationism and
establish this country's dominant role in international relations.
I have a deep personal interest in the life and legacy of President
Truman because I represent Independence, Missouri, where Harry Truman
launched his career in public service as Jackson County Presiding
Judge. His famed Presidential Library and his home and farm are located
in my Congressional District.
Harry Truman distinguished himself as a plain spoken leader who cared
about people. He has been a model to me in my service to the people of
Missouri. His honest, matter of fact approach to all issues is one all
public servants can aspire to. In my congressional office I have a
replica of the message that President Truman had on his desk which
reads ``The Buck Stops Here.'' It is a constant reminder of his goal to
maintain common sense in service to the people and helped him to
prevail during the many difficult global situations he faced during his
Presidency.
President Truman's career was highlighted by many accomplishments:
The famous Truman Committee of the early 1940's; victory in world war
II; the recognition of the new state of Israel; and most notably his
vision for the future of foreign policy. President Truman demonstrated
the compassion and courage admired by the world through his strategic
action in employing the Berlin Airlift and his commitment to ``support
free peoples who are resisting subjugation . . .'' which became known
as the Truman Doctrine.
Truman in his inaugural address outlined an unprecedented foreign
policy agenda calling for the ongoing support of the United Nations,
the continued support for the Marshall Plan, the creation of a
collective defense for the North Atlantic Region--NATO (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization), and ``Point IV--a bold new program'' to help the
underprivileged peoples of the world. Last year I was able to join in
witnessing the expansion of the Truman foreign policy legacy at the
Truman Presidential Library. As we commemorated the 50th anniversary of
NATO in the spirit of Harry Truman, NATO was expanded to include
representation from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.
I am extremely proud to have supported this legislation because I
firmly believe that naming the U.S. State Department building after
President Truman is one of the most appropriate, meaningful tributes
this Congress can make in his memory. May every individual who enters
the State Department building be inspired by the many national and
foreign policy accomplishments of Harry Truman.
Finally, I want to make part of the record a beautiful collection of
words which the President carried in his wallet from the time he
graduated from high school. According to the Truman Library, the
President attributed the words to a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
entitled ``Locksley Hall.'' The words are powerful and I hope my
colleagues find the words as inspiring as I do.
For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the vision of the world, and all the wonder that would
be;
Saw the heavens fill with commerce. Argosies of magic sails,
Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly
bales;
Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain'd a
ghastly dew
From the Nations' airy navies grappling in the central blue;
Far along the world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing
warm,
With the standards of the peoples plunging thro' the
thunderstorm;
Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer, and the battle-flags
were furl'd
In the parliament of man, the federation of the world,
There the common sense of most shall hold a fretful realm in
awe,
And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in universal law.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3639
to name the U.S. State Department building in honor of President Harry
S. Truman, a legendary leader in matters of state whose lasting vision
made possible the international leadership and greatness our country
commands today.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman
from Missouri (Ms. Danner).
Ms. DANNER. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to discuss the possibility
of honoring Harry S. Truman by naming a building after him. And indeed,
he was a truly remarkable man.
A prior speaker, former State senator now, the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Skelton), quoted Churchill in saying that Truman had
saved Western Civilization. Well, he had done that. And yet he was such
a remarkable and humble man that when the press asked former President
Truman at that time after he had returned to Independence, Missouri,
what was the first thing he did as the former President, he paused for
just a moment and he said, ``I carried the grips up to the attic.''
That was Harry S. Truman. He never lost those small-town values that
meant so much to him and to the Nation.
{time} 1530
This is a man who led us out of the darkness of war and into the dawn
of peace. He leaves a legacy that those in Missouri and indeed our
entire Nation are very proud of.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Clement).
Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Skelton) as well as the gentleman from Missouri (Mr.
Blunt) for introducing H.R. 3639, to name the State Department
headquarters building in honor of our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman.
I remember that expression that was shared just a while ago about the
buck stops here, because he took full credit as well as at times took
the heat for what occurred during his watch. He offered a lot of what I
call political courage and will always be remembered as one of the
greatest Presidents in the history of this country.
I met President Truman in the 1950s when my father, Governor Frank G.
Clement, was governor of Tennessee, and he visited the governor's
residence in Tennessee. We had him for dinner as well as he spent the
night. I will never forget the next morning. My father went to his room
knowing that President Truman had a habit of getting up early in the
morning. My father went to the guest quarters at the governor's
residence, no Harry Truman, and could not find him. He went downstairs
and asked the security people, where is the former President? Where is
President Truman? None of the security people had seen him. They found
him walking down Curtiswood Lane all by himself in front of the
governor's residence. He would always be one of those kinds of people
to surprise people and do what he wanted to do because he was just that
kind of person. I will say my father just about fired three or four
security people right there on the spot, having the former President
here at the governor's residence; and we could not find where he was.
He made a difference. He is responsible and launched the Marshall
Plan. He helped end World War II, NATO, the Truman Doctrine. He will
always be remembered as one of the greatest Presidents in the history
of this country. God bless President Truman.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Hinchey).
Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to say a few words in
strong support of H.R. 3639, the legislation to name the State
Department building for President Harry S. Truman. It is a most
appropriate tribute to our 33rd President to engrave his name on the
building that houses our diplomatic corps.
Harry Truman, as we all know, rose from humble beginnings to become
the
[[Page H3592]]
leader of our Nation during a time of great crisis. When Franklin
Roosevelt died 80 days into his fourth term, his Vice President had
been ill-prepared to take over. Not part of Roosevelt's inner circle,
Truman had to learn most of his foreign policy on the fly. The country
was still at war in Europe and the Pacific, the atomic bomb was being
developed in secret, and Joseph Stalin was backing away from the
agreements reached at Yalta.
Barely within Truman's first month in office, Germany surrendered.
While confronting the need to rebuild Europe and control Stalinist
governments in Yugoslavia and Poland, the new President also had to
wage war in the Pacific. When Japan refused unconditional surrender,
Truman had to decide whether to keep fighting by conventional means,
which course he knew would cost hundreds of thousands of American and
Japanese lives, or to use the atomic weapon.
After weighing the cost of prolonging the war, he opted to drop a
devastating bomb he did not even know existed 4 months earlier. The
aftermath of the war was a time of great political upheaval at home.
Faced with a country that was tired of the sacrifices of war, Truman
watched as Republicans won majorities in both houses of Congress. Given
no chance to win reelection in 1948, Harry Truman took his case to the
people. In his famous whistle-stop campaign, he traveled almost 22,000
miles by train, stopping in small towns and cities all across the
country. In an upset victory over New York Governor Thomas Dewey,
Truman was elected President in his own right.
During this term in office, Harry Truman had his great foreign policy
successes, the Truman Doctrine to stop the spread of totalitarianism in
Europe, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and the Berlin Airlift to
resupply West Berlin in the face of a Soviet blockade. These programs
established the willingness of the United States to remain engaged in
world affairs and not to retreat into isolationism as we had done after
World War I.
Harry Truman was a great man who was underappreciated in his time.
History has shown the wisdom of his vision for America and for the
world. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this effort to designate the
State Department building as Harry S. Truman Federal Building and
commend the sponsors of this legislation.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I close with an observation about the last campaign of President
Truman about which he reminisced in Plain Speaking:
Another thing about that election, I won it not because of
any special oratorical effects or because I had any help from
what you would call the Madison Avenue fellows but by a
statement of fact of what had happened in the past would
happen in the future if the fellow that was running against
me was elected.
I made 352 speeches that were on the record and about the
same number that were not. I traveled altogether 31,700
miles, I believe, and it was the last campaign in which that
kind of approach was made. Now, of course, everything is
television; and the candidates travel from one place to
another by jet airplane. And I don't like that.''
I think the American people do not like it much, either. I think they
would like a return to the plain speaking of Harry Truman and to the
personal contact that he made with people. If we could all live up to
the very simple ideals by which he lived his life, ran the White House,
steered us through the end of World War II and into the postwar period,
we will all be a better country. That is why we are taking the step of
naming the Department of State building for a man who is truly a
statesman.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
distinguished gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson).
Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I speak in support today of H.R. 3639,
designating the Harry S. Truman Federal Building. I really want to
commend the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) who is a very dear,
close personal friend. He has worked tirelessly over the past few years
in Congress to make sure that the only Missourian ever elected to serve
as President of the United States is duly recognized for his great work
to this country.
I commend the gentleman for the dedication and commitment he has
made. I want to thank him for that. I also want to say that I find it
very fitting that we are debating the naming of the headquarters of the
State Department in honor of President Harry Truman. Many of President
Truman's greatest legacies center around foreign policy, from winning
the war to winning the peace to helping negotiate NATO and the creation
of the National Security Council, to the writing of the Marshall Plan
which assisted in the rebuilding of Europe following World War II.
Back in 1899, Congressman William Duncan Vandiver, who was my
predecessor in Congress, defined what it meant to be from Missouri when
he said, ``I come from a State that raises corn and cotton and
cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor
satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.'' No one
better exemplified this sentiment than our own plain speaking Harry S.
Truman. Let me again thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton)
and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and, of course, the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) for working to ensure that
Missouri's brightest son gets the honor that he so greatly deserves.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I want to emphasize that getting this legislation here
today was not an easy task but it was a very worthy task. It is the
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from Missouri
(Mr. Blunt) who really deserve enormous credit for our being here today
to honor this great American. While it is true that Harry Truman was a
plain speaking man, he certainly was not a plain thinking man. In fact,
he made some of the most lonely and historic decisions of our century.
He also was a much more sophisticated man than many might think. He
was a classical pianist. He not only could play the Missouri Waltz, he
could play Chopin and the other great classical composers. He did that
in the White House as well as in other places. Harry Truman was a
quintessential American. This is so very deserving. I strongly urge the
support for this legislation.
Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3639, which
names the headquarters of the Department of State after a great
American from my home state of Missouri the 33rd President of the
United States, Harry S Truman. And I commend my good friend and
colleague Ike Skelton for his leadership in spearheading this important
effort.
It is appropriate that we name the State Department's headquarters
after Harry Truman, for he truly was a statesman of world stature. He
was a visionary who inspired generations worldwide with his pursuit of
peace through diplomacy, and with his defense of free peoples. From his
unwavering support of establishing the United Nations as the best hope
for peace, to the fateful decisions ending the Second World War, to the
heroic effort of the Berlin airlift, President Truman demonstrated time
and again his greatness.
Yet at the same time, Harry Truman never forgot his roots in
Missouri, where he had learned the virtues of loyalty, hard work,
perseverance and personal responsibility. He not only talked about
these Americans values, he lived them. His life story, the rise from
farmer and haberdasher to judge to United States Senator, to Vice
President, and finally to President of the United States, still
inspires us with the truth of the old adage that anyone can grow up to
be President. Through it all, Harry Truman showed us by example the
value he placed on family and friends through the loyalty and honor he
bestowed on those close to him, no matter how lofty his office became.
Harry Truman's character and accomplishments stand as benchmarks by
which public servants are measured to this day. Honesty, integrity and
the courage to make the toughest decisions were the hallmarks of his
presidency. Whether facing foreign aggression in Korea, pushing for
civil rights at home, or standing against the divisiveness of
McCarthyism, Harry Truman was a leader who served as an example to the
whole world of the greatness of our democracy. He reached across racial
barriers, party lines, and international boundaries pursue the causes
he believed in.
The immortal sign that sat on is desk ``The Buck Stops Here'' says it
all. On so many hard decisions affecting the fates of so many people,
the buck truly did stop with Harry S
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Truman. He used the power of his office and the power of his character
to lead the American people and the world into a new and uncertain
future, the foundation of peace and prosperity that we enjoy today. And
he charted a course for America of active engagement with the world
grounded in the values that have made this nation great.
I am truly proud to rise in support of this bill. Harry S Truman was
a great American and a great Missourian who made our country and the
world better by his deeds and his example.
Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R.
3639, designating the Harry S. Truman Federal Building. I want to first
commend Congressman Ike Skelton, a close dear friend of mine. He has
worked tirelessly over the past few years in Congress to ensure that
the only Missourian ever elected to serve as President of the United
States is duly recognized for his great work to this country.
I find it fitting that we are debating the naming of the headquarters
of the State Department in honor of President Truman. Many of President
Truman's greatest legacies center around foreign policy, from winning
the war to winning the peace, to helping negotiate NATO and the
creation of the national security council to the writing of the
Marshall Plan, which assisted in the rebuilding of Europe following
World War II.
In 1899, Congressman William Duncan Vandiver, who was my predecessor
in Congress, defined what it meant to be from Missouri, when he said,
``I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and
Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I
am from Missouri. You have got to show me.'' No one better exemplified
this sentiment than our own plain speaking President Harry S. Truman.
I want to thank Mr. Skelton and Chairman Shuster for working to
ensure that Missouri's brightest son gets the honor that he so greatly
deserves.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Calvert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3639, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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