1. At the beginning
of the Press Conference, President Truman states that he will not talk
about one subject. What is that subject? Why won't he discuss this topic?
2. 1952 is a presidential
election year. What does President Truman say about running for a second
term?
3. President Truman
is questioned by a reporter as to how he would respond to a decision
of the Supreme Court concerning the steel crisis. What is his response?
Background: In 1952
steel workers threatened to strike and shut down production of steel
across the country. The United States was at war in Korea and steel
was needed to keep the troops supplied. In April 1952 President Truman
signed an Executive Order authorizing Commerce Secretary, Charles Sawyer,
to seize the steel companies to keep production going. His authority
to issue such an order was being challenged in court by the owners of
the steel mills.
4. What is Truman's
standard response when a reporter asks him about the steel crisis?
5. What was President
Truman's reply when he was asked about the condition of Associated Press
reporter William Oatis?
Background: William
N. Oatis was the bureau chief in Prague, Czechoslovakia for the AP.
He
was arrested in April by Czech authorities. The charge against Oatis
was espionage. He was sentenced to prison for ten years but he was released
after 28 months. Oatis is called the "first American martyr to
press freedom behind the Iron Curtain." The Czech government cleared
his
name of all charges in 1959.
6. What information
did you gain from the audio or the printed text of the Press Conference
that you would not have gained from a secondary source?
7. What were two
themes or messages of the News Conference?
8. What did you
learn about what was happening in society from the News Conference?
9. How would you
describe President Truman's relationship with the press? Cite an example
to support your answer.
10. What questions
would you ask President Truman if you were a reporter in 1952?
11. What questions
would you ask the current president if you had the opportunity to question
him at a press conference today?
Note: This was the
three hundred and second Press Conference given by President Truman.
