Roosevelt’s Teamsters Labor Convention Speech, 11Sep40

Roosevelt’s Teamsters Labor Convention Speech, 11Sep40 Seated men cheering in auditorium, pieces of newspaper thrown. 07:40:22 FDR at mic on stage: “...I’m in sort of a quandary tonight. I don’t know whether its a political speech or not. I don’t know because these days, if in a certain period of the year you refer in any way to things that happened...including the past seven years, it is a great question as to whether you are talking American history or politics. Continues... ...I have been inspecting the progress of our national defense.” 07:42:18 “...through all of it there was the impressive conviction that America is rising to meet the evergrowing need for an adequate, physical armed defense of the United States. Continues... I am visiting another type of national defense....” Continues... ..when I speak of “labor force”. Cut to: 07:43:14 “It is one of the characteristics of a free & democratic modern nation that we have free & independent labor unions. In country after country in other lands, labor unions have disappeared as the iron hand of the dictator has taken command.” Cut to: 07:43:35 “..to the one thing that this Administration from the very beginning has insisted upon: the assurance to labor of the untrammeled right... abrupt end w/ slug. 07:43:49 “...nation they love. Yes it is my hope that soon the “United States will have a national system under which no needy man or woman w/in our borders will lack a minimum old-age pension that will provide adequate food, adequate clothing & adequate lodging to the end of the road & w/o having to go to the poorhouse to get it.” Cut to... 07:44:34 “...live in comfort & in happiness. The people must decide whether to continue the type of Government which has fostered the progress to date, or whether to turn it over to those who by their actiion, if not always by their word, have shown their fundamental opposition to the main objectives toward which we have worked in the past & to whch we are definitely committed for the future.” Cut to... 07:45:24 “Yes, our mighty national defense effort...cannot be measured alone in terms of mathematical increase in the number of soldiers & sailors & guns & tanks & planes. Behind them all must stand a united people...essential supplement to their guns & planes.” Cut to... 07:46:23 “Labor knows. I don’t have to tell labor; labor knows that there is no room in the labor movement for the racketeer or the strong-arm man. Government, your government, is determined to help labor unions clean their own house of those few persons who have tried to betray them.” Cut to... 07:46:51 Goes on talking about unity w/in labor organizations & w/ govt. for national defense. No business is above government. Pre-WWII; Political Speech; Politician; 1940; Pre-WW2 Preparedness; Democrat Party Platform; NOTE: FDR personalized speech from prepared text.