Harry S. Truman photo

The President's News Conference

August 21, 1947

THE PRESIDENT. [1.] I just have one announcement to make, and that is that Kenneth C. Royall will be the Secretary for the Army, and the Honorable John L. Sullivan, the present Under Secretary of the Navy, will be Secretary for the Navy; and Stuart Symington will be Secretary for Air.

The other appointments, under the new bill, are not ready to be announced yet. They will be announced later.

And Mr. Ross has gotten up a picture of the setup for you, which will be handed to you as you go out, along with the life and background of these gentlemen whose appointments are being announced today.

That's all the announcements I have to make.

Q. Mr. President, in that connection, is it necessary to reappoint all members of the Munitions Board on the old Army and Navy--

THE PRESIDENT. Well, the law, I think, provides that civilian--civilians under the present War Department Act automatically go under this one. We are having it thoroughly looked up, so in case it is necessary to reappoint them, why they will be appointed.

Q. Mr. President, when can we look for this to become effective? In other words, when--

THE PRESIDENT. About the middle of September-sometime around then.

Q. That will be when Mr. Forrestal takes his oath of office ?

THE PRESIDENT. That will be when Mr. Forrestal takes his oath of office.

Q. About the middle, not the first?

THE PRESIDENT. About the middle of September.

[2.] Q. Mr. President, have you any comment on the death of Senator Bilbo ?

THE PRESIDENT. Of course I was sorry to hear of Senator Bilbo's death. I was there for 10 years in the Senate. Used to sit right behind him. Knew him very well. Sending the usual condolences to his family.

[3.] Q. Mr. President, have you decided as yet to accept the American Legion Convention invitation ?

THE PRESIDENT. No I haven't. I have announced that I wouldn't be able to be present.

[4.] Q. Mr. President, who will take over the Conciliation and Mediation Service since the

THE PRESIDENT. I just named the man. Judge, what's his name?

Judge Latta: Colvin.

THE PRESIDENT. Colvin. Couldn't think of it. Colvin will temporarily take over that job.

Q. Mr. President, will your appointments to the labor-management panel under the Taft-Hartley Act be ready soon?

THE PRESIDENT. I hope so. I hope they will be ready by the time the act goes into effect--I hope.

Q. Mr. President, most major portions of the act become effective tomorrow.

THE PRESIDENT. That is true.

Q. Any comment on them at this time?

THE PRESIDENT. No comment. No comment. I made all the comment I could on it.

Q. You don't feel the same way -

THE PRESIDENT. Both before and after. [Laughter]

[5.] Q. Is it true, Mr. President, that you talked to Mr. Denham recently about the relationship between him and the joint legislative committee?

THE PRESIDENT. I had a conference with the whole board in here, and we discussed the difference between the legislative and the executive branches of the Government. The Board and the Council were all in agreement with my viewpoint.

[6.] Q. Mr. President, Representative Merrow is reported to have sent you a wire urging a special session in view of all the crises overseas.

THE PRESIDENT. I haven't received any such wire as yet. My position in the matter hasn't changed. If it is ever--becomes a necessity for a special session, I won't hesitate to call it. I don't think there is any necessity at this time to be calling any special session.

[7.] Q. Mr. President, have you had any report from Mr. Clayton on the progress of the ITO in Geneva?

THE PRESIDENT. NO, I have not.

Q. Is that supposed to be over and completed by this time, sir?

THE PRESIDENT. I don't know whether there was any time set on it or not. I think the idea was to arrive at an agreement as soon as they could. They are still working at it.

[8.] Q. Mr. President, did you see a Mr. Tom Connors today from Scranton, Pa. ?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes.

Q. Former newspaperman?

THE PRESIDENT. Yes.

Q. Do you know what he is doing in town ?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I don't. You will have to ask him. He just came in here to pay his respects to me.

Q. Somebody told me he was trying to buy a paper and wanted to talk with you about it.

THE PRESIDENT. NO, he didn't discuss his business with me. I think maybe he will tell you probably what he was in for, if you would ask him.

Q. This was just a handshake?

THE PRESIDENT. We just had a friendly visit. I have known him a long time ago, when I went up to Scranton for Frank Walker way back yonder when I was a Senator, and I made a speech for them on St. Patrick's Day; and Mr. Connors was one of my hosts at that time and he was running a paper in Scranton. And he told me this morning that he was the first man that suggested me for Vice President of the United States in 1944. I did not thank him.

Q. When didn't you thank him?

THE PRESIDENT. This morning, or then, either. [Laughter]

[9.] Q. Mr. President, has Commissioner Lowell Mason spoken to you about any desire to resign from FTC?

THE PRESIDENT. No, I am sure he doesn't care about resigning. He is doing a good job over there.

[10.] Q. Mr. President, do you plan any new approaches to the displaced persons ?

THE PRESIDENT. No. Still making the effort, and those appointments the other day were all interested in getting some concrete action on that subject. I am very much interested in it. I think it is up to us to do our share along that line. I don't think any of our people have any right to quarrel with doing the right thing, for the simple reason that all of them are descendants of displaced persons--everybody in this country.

Q. You intend to propose legislation when Congress returns?

THE PRESIDENT. Well, I proposed it at the last session, and I proposed it at the session before that, and I shall probably propose it to this session.

[11.] Q. Sir, can you say what was discussed with former Senator Huffman yesterday?

THE PRESIDENT. Oh, he just came in to talk over politics. I had a very nice meeting with him.

Q. Did he say you do all right in Ohio?

THE PRESIDENT. That's what he told me.

Q. You will be a candidate then, sir?

[Laughter]

THE PRESIDENT. I didn't say that. No-I am making no announcement.

Reporter: Well, thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT. Entirely welcome.

Note: President Truman's one hundred and eighteenth news conference was held in his office at the White House at 4:03 p.m. on Thursday, August 1947.

Harry S Truman, The President's News Conference Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/232240

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