President Truman said he appreciated and hoped he deserved a plaque awarded him on behalf of the Israel bond drive which lauded his aid to Israel.
“This is a very fine tribute,” said the President. “I appreciate it, and I hope I deserve it – and I hope I will continue to deserve it.”
The presentation was made by Henry Morgenthau, Jr., accompanied by 15 Israel bond drive leaders, in the Rose Garden of the White House. The plaque was inscribed: “In war tribute to Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, whose statesmanship and broad vision have illuminated the path of freedom-loving men toward the realization of the ideals of human liberty; whose global interest in the betterment of mankind has expressed itself in a firm espousal of the aspirations of the builders of Israel in establishing a free nation as a homeland for the oppressed and as a fountainhead of revived cultural and spiritual teaching; whose immediate recognition of the new State of Israel and understanding support of the fledgling nation through economic aid have been pillars of strength from the very first hours of its existence and whose continued interest and encouragement have inspired all those who seek to establish a closer relationship between our own great democracy and this young nation now striving for economic independence through the Israel Independence Bond issue.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
