Statement by the President on the Effect of the Steel Strike on National Welfare and Safety.

OBVIOUSLY, the steel strike threatens to "imperil the national health or safety."

We have had a 97-day shutdown in steel--the longest steal strike in this generation.

Steel is a national industry; it stretches from coast to coast. Its products move in interstate commerce. It employs over 600,000 people.

Steel is at the very base of any industrial economy. Especially it is basic to growth industries.

It is essential for repairs and maintenance.

It is essential for defense production.

Supplies are now below normal (10 million tons), and are nearing the exhaustion point. Some kinds of steel already are exhausted.

Even when the mills reopen, several weeks will be required to produce some kinds of steel, like special steel alloys for missiles, and steel sheets for automobiles. If iron ore shipments do not begin at once, there will not be enough iron ore at steel plants to maintain full operations next spring before lake shipments can begin again.

We must look to the future.

The national good requires that our space activities, our missile programs, and all our other defense programs go ahead without delay. They are now being delayed--and will be further delayed by this strike.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has informed me that shortages of steel are delaying the construction of test facilities and bases for this program, as well as the completion of parts for the space vehicles.

The Secretary of Defense reports delays in construction of bases or facilities for the Atlas, Titan, and Polaris missiles, and of the missiles themselves, because of the lack of special sizes and types of steel which are not made in mills that are now open.

Shortages of steel are causing widespread shutdowns and layoffs in other industries.

Over 57,000 employees were laid off just in the second week in October. That is over five times as many as were laid off three weeks ago. The total number of people idled by October 14 was 780,000, including the striking Steelworkers. Each week the situation is worse.

By the end of November, the Secretary of Labor estimates that a total of 1,775,000 employees (including the 500,000 strikers) would be idled.

By the end of December, it would be 3,000,000 if this dispute were permitted to continue. That means that some 9,000,000 citizens would be affected, including the men and their families.

The hardship which this strike has caused--and could cause--is tremendous. The National welfare is certainly affected when so many people are laid off and so much of an industry is stopped.