[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 115 (Monday, September 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1584-E1585]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ON THE OCCASION OF THE RENAMING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUILDING IN 
                   MEMORY OF PRESIDENT HARRY S TRUMAN

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                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 25, 2000

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the day of a 
ceremony to name the U.S. Department of State building in Washington, 
D.C. after Missouri's Favorite Son, Harry S Truman, the 33rd President 
of the United States of America. I am proud to represent the 5th 
Congressional District of Missouri where Harry Truman spent most of his 
life. He grew up in Independence, ran a haberdashery in Kansas City, 
and in his later years helped with the family farm in Grandview, 
Missouri. He was a soft spoken man from the Midwest whose vision and 
leadership led to lasting world accomplishments benefitting the 
citizens of our country as well and the world.
  Renaming the Department of State Building in our nation's Capital for 
President Harry S Truman is an appropriate tribute to a great leader. 
President Truman called his first year in office `a year of decisions,' 
in dealing with the end of World War II, the beginning of the Cold War, 
and the founding of the United Nations. He was able to ensure national 
security while at the same time impacting a worldwide stage of 
engagement through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to resist 
communist threats and revive the ailing economies of Europe after World 
War II. President Truman is credited as a leading force in the creation 
of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an organization that 
has guaranteed peace throughout the Cold War and remains crucial to our 
nation's efforts to support democracies throughout the world.
  A leader in so many aspects, President Truman's vision and 
accomplishment on a worldwide level are reflected in the relative 
tranquility we experience throughout all regions today. His willingness 
to confront difficult and complex issues and find solutions to 
questions facing our nation during the most difficult time of his 
presidency is an inspiration to me. When I look at his picture hanging 
in my office, I draw strength from his courage and determination to 
take responsibility for the tough choices he had to make for our 
country. I am confident this public symbol of renaming the

[[Page E1585]]

Department of State Building for President Truman will similarly 
inspire world leaders of today to continue to shoulder the 
responsibilities of public office and rise to the challenges before 
each of them to benefit our world.
  President Truman's legacy is appropriately captured in the Truman 
presidential Library located in the heart of my congressional district 
in Independence, Missouri. Last year I joined Secretary of State 
Madeleine Albright to commemorate the 50th anniversary of NATO and the 
accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization. This momentous occasion brought home to 
the heartland the reality of the vision and leadership which President 
Truman demonstrated in foreign policy which the Clinton Administration 
continues today. The reflections of this century will duly note the 
uncompromising spirit of President Truman and his bold implementation 
of foreign policy initiatives which unquestionably changed the course 
of history. Whether it be through humanitarian efforts or demonstration 
of strength or consummation of alliances, Harry Truman fought for the 
common man both in our nation and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to President Harry S Truman 
by remaining the Department of State Building in Washington, D.C. in 
his memory. I, along with my colleagues from Missouri who cosponsored 
the enabling legislation, pay this tribute to President Truman to 
publicly acknowledge the Truman legacy. President Truman, we thank you 
for your service to our the United States and the world, and I say 
thank you Mr. President for giving them hell!

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