State of the Union AddressesRoosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano)
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State of the Union Addresses
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano)
Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
In adopting such legislation, it is not necessary to discard the voluntary
and cooperative processes which have prevailed up to this time. This
cooperation has already produced great results. The contribution of our
workers to the war effort has been beyond measure. We must build on the
foundations that have already been laid and supplement the measures now in
operation, in order to guarantee the production that may be necessary in
the critical period that lies ahead.
At the present time we are using the inadequate tools at hand to do the
best we can by such expedients as manpower ceilings, and the use of
priority and other powers, to induce men and women to shift from
non-essential to essential war jobs.
I am in receipt of a joint letter from the Secretary of War and the
Secretary of the Navy, dated January 3, 1945, which says:
"With the experience of three years of war and after the most thorough
consideration, we are convinced that it is now necessary to carry out the
statement made by the Congress in the joint resolutions declaring that a
state of war existed with Japan and Germany: That 'to bring the conflict to
a successful conclusion, all of the resources of the country are hereby
pledged by the Congress of the United States.'
"In our considered judgment, which is supported by General Marshall and
Admiral King, this requires total mobilization of our manpower by the
passage of a national war service law. The armed forces need this
legislation to hasten the day of final victory, and to keep to a minimum
the cost in lives.
"National war service, the recognition by law of the duty of every citizen
to do his or her part in winning the war, will give complete assurance that
the need for war equipment will be filled. In the coming year we must
increase the output of many weapons and supplies on short notice. Otherwise
we shall not keep our production abreast of the swiftly changing needs of
war. At the same time it will be necessary to draw progressively many men
now engaged in war production to serve with the armed forces, and their
places in war production must be filled promptly. These developments will
require the addition of hundreds of thousands to those already working in
war industry. We do not believe that these needs can be met effectively
under present methods.
"The record made by management and labor in war industry has been a notable
testimony to the resourcefulness and power of America. The needs are so
great, nevertheless, that in many instances we have been forced to recall
soldiers and sailors from military duty to do work of a civilian character
in war production, because of the urgency of the need for equipment and
because of inability to recruit civilian labor."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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