Radio Address Opening the 1945 National War Fund Campaign.

[ Broadcast from the White House at 10:30 p.m. ]

My fellow citizens of the United States:

This is the month when in cities and towns throughout the country the community war fund is making its annual appeal. Perhaps you wonder why I am coming to you in behalf of a war fund drive, now that all our enemies have surrendered. I shall tell you why.

First let me explain that your community war fund joins in one combined appeal the agencies of the National War Fund serving our own armed forces and merchant marine and those agencies helping to relieve the suffering and want of war victims among our Allies. The same federated fund also unites--in Community Chest cities--with the appeal for local agencies guarding the health and welfare of our own American homes and families.

We must support these war fund agencies because of their support of our armed forces. Of course we gave our armed forces in the field the best equipment and supplies that we could provide. We gave our men the best training and leadership we could secure. We gave them everything we could. But there was one thing that we had to depend on the member agencies of the National War Fund to supply. That was the plain, human friendship, the good-neighborliness, the little bit of home, that they provided our service men and women through every USO club and unit.

I am speaking to you tonight because it is important, because it is imperative, that these War Fund agencies finish the job they were set up to do. War service has not ended. I don't need to tell that to anyone whose son is still serving with the occupation forces or with the service troops in this country. For them, the war is still going on. That's why USO and USO-Camp Shows must go on with the fine work they've been doing--until all our service men and women are back home with us again.

Our returning veterans are looking forward to happy homes in which their children can grow up the way they should. They are looking forward to living in a community which is concerned with the welfare of its citizens. They may not think of this in terms of a child welfare program, a family service society, a scout troop, a recreation program, a visiting nurse or a clinic. But these services, which in most of our cities are performed by agencies of the local Community Chest, help to determine the quality of living in their community. These are the services from which everyone in the community benefits.

The appeal of the National War Fund and your local Community War Fund is a human appeal for three causes for continued friendly services for the men and women who still have a job to do in the armed forces; for health and welfare services for our own people at home; and for relief and assistance for the war stricken people of liberated countries--our Allies who fought by our side.

We have won the victory of arms; now let us push on to greater conquests--to the total victory of human justice and decency and faith in mankind.

Let us be generous, and let us give abundant thanks to God in victory through our generosity.