Proclamation 5148—Centennial of the Birth of Harry S Truman

May 8, 1984, marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Harry S Truman, the thirty-third President of the United States and one of this Nation's most respected statesmen.

First elected to the United States Senate from Missouri in 1934, Mr. Truman gained national recognition during World War II, when his investigating committee saved the taxpayers large amounts of money by exposing waste and extravagance in the procurement process. In November 1944, the voters elected Mr. Truman Vice President. He served only 83 days in that office and succeeded to the Presidency in April 1945, upon the death of President Roosevelt.

In his first months in office, President Truman guided the country through the end of World War II and made the difficult decisions that ushered in the nuclear age. In the postwar years, he oversaw America's transition from a wartime to a peacetime economy and began an era of growth and stability. In foreign affairs, President Truman established the cornerstones of the policy of containment in dealing with the communist threat to Europe. Through the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan he stalwartly assisted free peoples in their efforts to stem the tide of totalitarian subversion. In applying the principles of collective security, President Truman assisted in the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to help European nations respond to this threat.

In 1948, Mr. Truman was elected to the Presidency, battling from behind to overtake Governor Thomas Dewey. President Truman responded to the invasion of South Korea by utilizing United Nations as well as American forces in dealing with that crisis.

Although confronted with a series of major challenges throughout his tenure, President Truman responded with courage, humanity, decisiveness, and a wit which have secured his place in the Nation's history as one of our most respected Presidents.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 8, 1984 to be the "Centennial of the Birth of Harry S Truman." I call upon the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities in remembrance of his many accomplishments and dedication to freedom and democracy.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.

RONALD REAGAN