PRESIDENT WADSWORTH CONTINUED, “I am, this evening, speaking to you on radio from the Oval Office of the White House. Television transmission and reception is not yet able to be put into operation. It is therefore fitting that I start this message by repeating the words of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman when he spoke to the American people on what was called V-E Day, Victory in Europe Day, from what was then called the Radio Room of the White House, very close to where I am speaking to you on radio now.
“He said, in part, ‘Let us not forget, my fellow Americans, the sorrow and the heartache which today abide in the homes of so many of our neighbors; neighbors whose most priceless possession has been rendered as sacrifices to redeem our liberty.’
“Less than four months later President Truman proclaimed V-J Day, Victory over Japan Day in which he said, ‘This is a victory of more than arms alone. This is a victory of liberty over tyranny.’
“Those words of President Harry S. Truman are appropriate this evening, but let me add to them some additional words for this moment. Although this day is a time of monumental victory, it is unavoidably a time to grieve for those whose lives were taken from us, making this generation incomplete for all its years ahead. And even for all of us who are left there is the imprint of such horrors that our very existence will be forever scorched by what we know to have happened. Nothing can be the same as long as we live.
“The list of Americans who have given the ultimate sacrifice is incomplete and we are only now beginning to assemble information. Among those who are gone are many in our government; elected, appointed, civil service and foreign service who have lost their lives in the worst ten days of our nation’s history. All the names of all the people gone from all walks of life will forever be memorialized, but that is not good enough. Nothing is good enough.
“There is a great deal to be done and the doing of it must be swift. Lives must be put into as much order as the human mind can muster, communications must be restored, the basics of life have to be accommodated, and fair adjudication must be given to those suspected of the unthinkable.
“We must accurately put together the pieces of how these ten days came about and record all the details of how they came to such an abrupt and victorious conclusion.
“During those ten days, many of the major officers of the executive branch were safe and secure, but through most of that period of time all our communications had been severed by the enemy. We of the elected executive branch had to rely on our armed forces acting alone to deal with the crisis without my coordination or direction. The U.S. Armed Forces performed with magnificence and independence no matter the theater in which they operated. Simultaneously, in a creative and unprecedented act, a previously prescribed U.S. contingency government operated with the most superb and innovative performance, with the most extraordinary and unparalleled leadership that anyone in this nation could have hoped for during this crisis. The full account of those days, including what took place from the contingency headquarters, from our armed forces around the world, and from our allies, will be gathered in a report to the American people and to the peoples of the world. It will be released as soon as all the material can be assembled into one time-lined document. You should know immediately, however, that our contingency government was led by Acting President Eli Jared who I asked to join me tonight but, by his request, will wait until a later time.
“‘This moment,’ he said to me, ‘should be to let the American people know that there is a President of the United States; not an Acting President of the United States, and even more important, that full constitutional rule has been re-established through Executive Order. Please tell the American people,’ he said, ‘that this is the time to put in order those things that must now be accomplished.’
“Before our full report is able to be released in the days ahead, I am going to follow former Acting President Eli Jared’s advice. We will put in order those things that must be put in order and I will meet with those members of the U.S. Congress who have not had their lives taken from their families and from all of us, and those remaining members will assemble quickly to insure that constitutional government is not only restored but is functioning. In addition, state and local governments must be put back in operational order.
“For some time to come I want all Americans to be alert and careful in their reaction to materials that are foreign to them or of unknown origin. It is possible that the enemy has left behind improvised explosive devices of all shapes and sizes. Do not handle unknown objects or even stay in their vicinity. Instead, immediately phone your local headquarters of Homefront Inspection which are being rapidly re-established. Here at the White House we have undergone an extensive sweeping operation today, as are other U.S. federal facilities undergoing sweeps in twenty-four hour days for as long as it takes. This is also true throughout the United States by the remaining local, state, and federal offices of Homefront Inspection. No matter how extensive the inspections, however, caution is mandatory until all areas of concern have been given clearance by the appropriate offices.
“Before this evening is over I, James L. Wadsworth, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim this day, July 26 as V-W Day, Victory in the World Day in which our armed forces, the armed forces of our allies, our contingency government, and the undergrounds of our allies regained liberty for this generation of world citizens. As a sign of respect for all those who made the supreme sacrifice during the war that just ended, I have signed a proclamation ordering that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government, in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions, at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad for a period of sixty days ending on September the 24th, longer than it has ever flown at half-staff in this nation’s history.
“This evening will mark the beginning of a new determination on the part of the American people that never again will any generation of Americans be forced to live in fear. Instead, we dedicate ourselves to the conviction that all peoples of our nation and all peoples of the world deserve to live in liberty.
“Liberty is a God-given gift that all people receive at birth, and no government is entitled to steal His gift from those to whom it was given.”