intellectual feasts. every saturday american history tv documents america's story and on sunday book tv brings you the latest in nonfiction books and authors. funding for cspan2 comes from these television companies and more including comcast. >> are you thinking this just a committee center? no it is way more than ever comcast as part of 1000 committee centers to create wi-fi enabled so students in low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. has to one of these television companies support cspan2 as a public service. x ladies and gentlemen please welcome our honored guest speaker nancy pelosi accompanied by republican leader mitch mcconnell republican leader kevin mccarthy. senator roy blights, representative a manual played on mr. clifton truman daniels.

[applause] ladies and gentlemen the honorable nancy pelosi speaker of the next phase house of representatives. [applause] >> as speaker of the house it is my privilege to welcome you to the united states capitol as we celebrate one of our nation's

finest presidents. president harry truman. lyit's only fitting this grim independence missouri takes its rightful place here in the rotunda of our temple of democracy, the nicest capitol. now, at this time please rise as you are able for thehe presentation of colors and for the national anthem.

[background noises] karl josé can you you see ♪ ♪ by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hail ♪ ♪ the twilight's last gleaming ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪ ♪ the perilous fight ♪ ♪ or at the ramparts we watch ♪ ♪ were so gallantly streaming. and the rockets red glare ♪ ♪ the bombs bursting in air ♪

♪ gave proof through the night ♪ ♪ that our flag was still there ♪ oh say does that star-spangled banner ♪ ♪ yet wave ♪ ♪ over the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave ♪ ♪

[background noises] ladies and gentlemen please remain standing for the invocation delivered by senate chaplin doctor barry black. >> let us pray. eternal god, nature of great lives, we praise you for this statue dedication that honors the laudable light of harry s truman the 33rd president of the united states. lord, we are grateful for his numerous contributions that help, protect and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies.

we celebrate that he helped our nation navigate world war ii. we aren't thankful for the truman doctrine. the berlin airlift. the creation of the united nations, and the end of racial segregation in the united states armed forces that occurred during his presidency. lord, you brought him from humble beginnings. and used even his setbacks to provide him steppingstones to greater usefulness. and inspired by his notable life, give us the wisdom to permit our reach to exceed our grasp of courage, creativity,

and commitment. we pray in your sovereign name. amen. >> ladies and gentlemen please take your seats. ladies and gentlemen the honorable nancy pelosi speaker of the united states house of representatives. >> now this is what you all came for. it is my special honor to bring forward present truman's grandson trystan truman dan his wife polly in thomas washington daniel. alex and doctor kurt graham of the truman library institute, members of the missouri congressional delegation both house and senate and i might add current and past. and leaders mccarthy and

mcconnell. together we will unveil this spectacular statute.

[applause] back. >> ladies and gentlemen aimr. clifton truman daniel chairman and board secretary for the truman scholarship fund.

>> thank you madam speaker. senator blunt, congressman cleaver, mcconnell, weiner mccarthy. family, friends and thank you again senator blunt and congressman cleaver, chairman and the board of the truman library institute, alex burdon and the institute staff, doctor kirk graham and the library staff. and the generous donors, friends, supporters, lawmakers who help make this day possible. my grandfather was a modest man. and frankly slightly embarrassed by statues. as a presidential library is an educational institution rather than a monument to him. but were he with us today, he would be honored and humbled. he loved the united states of america. he loved the work of government. he loved this very building. he took the job seriously but

never himself. he was open andnd approachable s tom corbin excellent statute depicts. he has been called an uncommon common man. of all of his accomplishments, marshall plans, nato, the truman doctrine, the desegregation of the armed services, i think the most significant was reminding us that a farmer, a citizen soldier. a small businessman can't rise to the highest office in l this land and do a better job of it than almost anyone else. that is the promise of this nation. the promiseat that same lives within each one of us. he did what he did for the greater good. he always said it was amazing how much you could get done if you did not care who got the credit.

his favorite at the tap in tucson, arizona read here lies jack williams. done is dampness. he wasn't honest, hard working empathetic and sensible humanan being. and i leaveay you today our deep gratitude" that illustrates those qualities in my grandfather. do your duty and history will do you justice. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable immanuel cleaver the second representative from the fifth district of missouri. [applause] >> this statute proves government can work and workok quickly. this only took us 20 years.

[laughter] it is an honor to join you today as we gather to commemorate the return of the man of missouri to the united states capitol with the unveiling and congressional dedication of president harry truman. i think truman's hometown of independence, missouri is probably floating around above the ground with pride. i want to start by thanking the sculptor, top trim at the corbin institute. chad and my colleague, friend and neighbor. without whose help this would not have been possible. born and raised in missouri harry truman was a man of remarkable character in a shining example of what it means to live the american dream.

from a small farm in the heartland to the pinnacle of power in the united states senate, truman demonstrated that through hard work, determination and perseverance anyone overcome the odds and change the world for the better. throughout his life journey harry truman worn many hats from family farmer to captain in the u.s. army during world war i. two county judge, senator, tos. vice president ultimately president of the united states. with an innate sense of public service captain harry truman left his farm to serve his country in world war i. he was one of many young men who answered the call to defend freedom abroad in the great war. upon returning home, he considers public service by launching a career in politics and after some time was elected to the united states senate. there he took the important

strides to cut down on government waste and corruption. raising its popularity helping to make the selection as president roosevelt's running mate in 1944. while he was not looking to climb the ladder of success quickly, a two days into his vice presidency he got the call to step up when president roosevelt died. he was determined to meet the material moment. progress occurs in skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better and that he did. during his presidency can body those words as he faced many challenges and difficult decisions that he navigated with principal and purposeful personality. i personally want to praise president truman for being the first president to deliverer a speech ate the national association of the advancement of colored people on june 29 , 47 at their annual convention

for the following year he helped america take another step toward fulfilling our promise of freedom and equality for all by next executive order 9980. which indeed segregated the federal workforce and the military. with the necessary steps, president truman helped create a black middle class. it enabled african-americans to advance society and participate in the prosperity of this great nation. from any forward to deforming the united nations and data to charting a course for civil rights and federal workforce, every measurement upon which presidential was scrutinized truman is positively one of the nation's greatest leaders. president truman insisted on being his most authentic self. refuse those who chose to approach progress with caution crafted and indelible legacy and

estimate devotedea leadership. i can think of no greater person to represent the state of missouri and citadelwh of democracy where he may continue to inspire who are hosted each year here in the capitol. from this day forth, make harry truman staff to serve as a reminder of his courage. a courage we need to have to take on the projects that will help build thiss nation. for my congressional colleagues and i, we too should accept responsibility and declare the buck stops here. truman leaves a long shadow cast by his lion hearted leadership upon us and every born american president truman, i do not know how this real work operates. but if you can hear me and if there are antagonists,.

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable roy blunt united states senator from missouri. got. >> on april 12 , 45 harry truman had come over too this building as clifton mentioned he love the capitol. he loved working in the senate. he comes in this building and not too far from here in a room the speakers still probably calls a board of education, he and sam were going over the events of the day and whatever else they might want to talk about that day. a note was passed into the vice president you need to come to the white house. something has happened. well there were lots of things happening aprilil of 1945. it is hard to note harry truman

might have been thinking about when he went to the white house. later thatun day, for his street since his mother h would have already found this out he wrote his mother a letter before he went to bed that night. in the letter he said today i went to the white house thinking i was going to see the president. i got there and found out i was the president. no president in such a short period of time made more consequential decisions than harry truman. ending the war in europe, how to deal with the soviets. i hope to look at transitioning back to a peacetime economy. what to do about ending the war in japan. the united nations, andix that s just the first six months. all of the things that clifton truman daniels mentioned would be on that list of great accomplishments by harry truman were important.

but if you have ever been in a job where you made decisions just imagine the decisions he had to make and how quickly he had to make them and how well he made them. when secretary of state tied his first meeting with the new lepresident truman, he left the meeting and said to somebody right away, he seems like a man unusually willing to make decisions. and he understood the importance of making decisions. he did that based on incredible common sense and a great sense u of history. because of his eyesight mrs. trim it wasde the athlete d baseball player. he was the reader. his mother told me one thing she never saw her dad sit down at home when he did not have a book. he understood the history of the country but he respected the history of thehe country. theof last 12 years i had the great opportunity to use the offices he used the 10 years he was in the senate.

and the 82 days he was vice president. i feel like i have benefited from thinking about the decision teammate and how he made them and what he did for the country. it is great for us today to see him now in the building he loved, in a democracy that he cherished. in a world he makes so much to design, create, and make what it is today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the u.s. air force band singing sergeants. ♪ beautiful, beautiful, america

♪ beautiful america ♪ ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grace ♪ ♪ for purple mountains majesty ♪ ♪ among the rooted plans ♪ ♪ america, america grace on the ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ oh beautiful or pilgrim feet ♪

♪ was stern and impassioned stress ♪ ♪ thoroughfare for freedom beat ♪ across the wilderness ♪ ♪ america ♪ ♪ america ♪ ♪ audit mende new line every flaw ♪ ♪ confirm thy soul and

self-control ♪ ♪ thy liberty in law ♪ ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ america ♪ ♪ america ♪ ♪ [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable kevin mccarthy republican leader of the united states house of representatives. >> i am very honored and

delighted to welcome the statue of harry truman to the rotunda. it's at a pivotal moment in our nation's future. let's face it, today's world is dangerous. communist china is growing more aggressive. putin's russia isiz mobilizing d escalating. an iranian regime that murders its own people is inching closer to a nuclearar weapon. the dangers echo the chaos, the complexity and the scope of the early cold war. as we confront these challenges, we have the lessons of harry truman to guide us. lesson number one, leadershipp matters. truman shaped american foreign policy by taking principled actions based upon circumstances he faced. in march 1947 he made out the truman doctrine.

pledging american support to free people against communism. in 1948 he approved the historic berlin airlift which brought the people of berlin food, medicine and even candy for more than a year. this forced the soviets to lift the blockade. truman trusted american exceptionalism. he understood a successful u.s. foreign policy begins with the idea that we should stand by our principles of freedom. harry truman's lesson number two, friends and allies matter. in one of us and boldest actions as president, president truman ordered the united states to recognize the state of israel just 11 minutes after they were created. truman remained steadfast ally to israel because he knew the source of our friendship with israel ran deep.

he said in 1952, israel had the glorious future. not just as another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideas of civilization. this statute reaffirms our unbreakable commitment to israel in otherer allies. which are based upon our shared values and interests. harry truman's lesson number three. live up to our values. truman knew the fight for freedom was not restricted to distant lands. one of his shining moments as president was his commitment to challenging civil rights. including in our military. it was earlier stated january 26 , 48 president truman signed executive order 9981. which made segregation in our military illegal.

truman understood the importance of living up to our founding and values that we are all created equal. that is especially true when americans are fighting together in foxholes. lesson number four by harry truman 's on his statue. the buck stops here. i hope, as policymakers walk through and they admire thisth statute, they read all the way down to the bottom. that was aus sign truman mc kept on hisis desk it was his motto, his code, his philosophy of leadership. in his farewell address truman said the president, whoever he is has to decide, can't pass the buck to d anybody. no one else can do the deciding for him, that is his job. it sounded wise not just to a president but i think to aer nation.

everyone should listen to it. especially policymakers. do not blame others for your feelings. on them, learn from them, and fix them. whatever the dangers today it is important we learn from history. as we welcome this statute to the rotunda, truman's actions often lessons for today, tomorrow, and of all time. let's remember to work for a nation that is safe. a future that is built on freedom and a government that is accountable. thank you, god bless. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen the honorable mitch mcconnell republican leader of the united states senate. [applause]

>> when here he truman was sworn in as our 33rd president, it only held the job of vice president for 82 days. overnight brand-new number two became her wartime commander-in-chief. he had not even been included in crucial briefings. but now he had to see the fight for victory through to the finish. one of the many times harry truman displayed j good judgment was when he tapped it back in to be his running mate in 1948. senator barclay was a dependable, principled statesman he was known for hisd earnestns and dogged work. his fellow senate democrats had elected him leader six times. but now in this role he got a

close-up look at how fdr comparatively little known fourth vice president was acquitting himself in the top job or he would later write his memoirs that truman was quote a professional in the best sense of the word. the president quote never allowed himself to become so personally exalted that a person could not talk to him as a fellow human being. we are all familiar with the long list of historic events through which president truman helped lead our country. you have heard them. that almost as impressed with the plainspoken, humble midwestern character that he has reported to have maintained completely. even as he was making all ofee that history. the man who became the leader of the free world overnight, hope

on leash on precedent literally awesome military power for militants to sue for peace be to keep early architect of the new international system that would help keep the peace. that person, by all accounts remain a citizen and a neighbor first. and from now on thanks to another side of kansas city, tom corbin, millions of americans will be be able to come face-to-face with her 33rd president as a human being right here at the epicenter of the republic that he a belief served. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen honorable nancy pelosi speaker of the united states house ofen

representatives. [applause] >> thank you to our speakers for your beautiful remarks. i associate myself with all of them. i'm not completely sure about mr. cleavers. i just did not hear the last sentence. isn't it wonderful for all of us to be here in the rotunda under the dome celebrate this great president of the united states. this is special to us as senator blunt a referenced president ase know it was a member of the united states senate. but we felt very close to him and house of representatives. a story was told byna senator blunt there's something called the board of education. at the end of the day some of the colleagues, and of the story very well, would go to a room.

they didn't surrender play cards and have some refreshment that said they're going to the board of education dental room and the capitol which is a very beautiful place.iv the vice president then was in the room he received a call from the white house eleanor roosevelt. that was the cult that made all the difference in the world. he was called to the white house and he would be a sender burn said not to see the president but to become the president of the united states. so we felt very close we still called the board of education. they don't play cards there or have refreshmentss anymore. but it is a place of history for us. again, what an honor it is to be alwith the family that noble spirit of our nation's 33rd president.

i went to thank you under special thanks to congressman carnahan and senator who work from day one to help make this occasion possible. and so people for a long time. to date we gather to celebrate harry truman and the greatest gift he gave to our nation. his unyielding commitment to democracy. it was his fervent belief that drove him to don our nation's uniform to in france during the first world war. to defend people's interest for decades here in these hallowed halls. and to champion freedom and justice here at home and across the world. he brought his midwest values to the congress and to the white house. i perform in himself a business owner to remit new first hand the american dream.

and the power of democracy to support those aspirations. that is why in his 1949 state of the union address he pledged that every individual has a right to expect from our government a fair deal. he make this declaration his mission putting forth a shining inclusive vision of prosperity and security for every family. sort order including the chaplin segregates the armed forces the federal workforce. for important progress in the fight for equal justice under the law. president truman also deserves great credit for his visionary leadership on healthcare. his impassioned advocacy universal healthcare the forefront of agenda.

president johnson medicare bill passed he traveled to independence to president truman signed medicare to sign up president truman is the first thmedicare beneficiary. a fitting tribute to that leader who honor this truth. healthcare is a rights, not a 'privilege. i want to speak personally for the moment that honor for me too join the unveiling of the p stae i the privilege of meeting president truman many years ago. he came to wish a friend, my father, served in the congress when president truman was vice president and president. he came to campaign for my father. we had a wonderful conversation.

he's intimidated intimidates me the president of the united states but he was very inviting and charming. and clifton thomas talks about his mother, margaret. telling it what i told margaret. education, education is really important. you never get too much education. always the focus on education in that conversation. i did not know whether we were going to talk -- mike i didn't what we're going to talk about. that was his focus in that conversation. within our children's education because we ensure all can participate promise further today it truman scholar. support student interested in public service. indeed did not cease at the water's edge. knew a threat tode democracy

anywhere was a threat to democracy everywhere. that's why he worked to rebuild brought up against totalitarianism. as extent america's helping hand including the berlin airlift. at so he forge strong alliances with friends and freedoms across the globe. especially the formation. this alliance is not only endured but is stronger today than ever. lwe continue to look for guidae today as we defend democracy against the talk or say. especially in ukraine. upon signing the north atlantic treaty president truman offered inspiring vision. we believe it is possible for nations to achieve unity on the great principles of human freedom and justice. make this magnificent statue and

doesn't just look like him? you are also young. but he had a reputation for walking and going for a walk and the press would follow him. make this magnificat statute which will standard the heart oa the capitol served as a constant symbol of our commitment toyo democracy. thank you tom corbin for this beautiful statue sits among many of our heroes comfortably here and the rotunda of the capitol under the great dome. thank you all for being with us today to celebrate god's blessing to america, the leadership of president harry s truman. thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen please stand for the benediction delivered by chaplin.

>> would you pray with me? eternal god, as we conclude this ceremony because of us each to pause and give thought as to how you called a young man from missouri to find himself seated at the most powerful chair internation's governments. for such a time as then, that critical time in our country's history you allowed him to be thrust into leadership with little warning or preparation. with only the gift and skills with which you gracedd him. the story of testimony shared president. f f truman plain spoken of his reputation for honesty, his commitment to integrity ever resound in this hallowed hall dnow stands. and we ask just as this figure has been carved, engraved on our hearts the consequential

significance president truman was but an common man who had just done. we may never look upon the statue at that hearing your claim on each of us, whoever we are from where ever we come to live and to serve where we are called when we are called with the same unswerving purpose to live into your calling. bless all of those who find themselves seated in the most powerful positions internation's government t. may they serve at the same tenacity, honesty and sense of duty and responsibility with which president truman led this countryy and defending and upholding our democracy. and that faithfulness of your name we offer our prayers amen. >> ladies and gentlemen please remain in your seats for the departure of the official party.

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