Messages between Cavert and Truman
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9 Aug 1945ww2dbase----- Telegram -----
From: Samuel M. Cavert, General Secretary, Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America
Sent: Thursday, 9 August 1945
To: Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America
WB71 114 2 EXTRA
WUX NEWYORK NY AUG 9 1945 1046A
HONORABLE HARRY S TRUMAN
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THE WHITE HOUSE
MANY CHRISTIANS DEEPLY DISTURBED OVER THE USE OF ATOMIC BOMBS AGAINST JAPANESE CITIES BECAUSE OF THEIR NECESSARILY INDISCRIMINATE DESTRUCTIVE EFFORTS AND BECAUSE THEIR USE SETS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE OF MANKIND. BISHOP OXNAM PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND JOHN FOSTER DULES [sic; "Dulles"] SHAIRMAN [sic; "Chairman"] OF ITS COMMISSION ON A JUST AND DURABLE PEACE ARE PREPARING STATEMENT FOR PROBABLE RELEASE TOMORROW URGING THAT ATOMIC BOMBS BE REGARDED AS TRUST FOR HUMANITY AND THAT JAPANESE NATION BE GIVEN GENUINE OPPORTUNITY AND TIME TO VERIFY FACTS ABOUT NEW BOMB AND TO ACCEPT SURRENDER TERMS. RESPECTIFULLY URGE THAT AMPLE OPPORTUNITY BE GIVEN JAPAN TO RECONSIDER ULTIMATUM BEFORE ANY FURTHER DEVASTATION BY ATOMIC BOMB IS VISITED UPON HER PEOPLE
FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERICAN
SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT GENERAL SECRETARY.
HONORABLE HARRY S TRUMAN
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THE WHITE HOUSE
MANY CHRISTIANS DEEPLY DISTURBED OVER THE USE OF ATOMIC BOMBS AGAINST JAPANESE CITIES BECAUSE OF THEIR NECESSARILY INDISCRIMINATE DESTRUCTIVE EFFORTS AND BECAUSE THEIR USE SETS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE OF MANKIND. BISHOP OXNAM PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND JOHN FOSTER DULES [sic; "Dulles"] SHAIRMAN [sic; "Chairman"] OF ITS COMMISSION ON A JUST AND DURABLE PEACE ARE PREPARING STATEMENT FOR PROBABLE RELEASE TOMORROW URGING THAT ATOMIC BOMBS BE REGARDED AS TRUST FOR HUMANITY AND THAT JAPANESE NATION BE GIVEN GENUINE OPPORTUNITY AND TIME TO VERIFY FACTS ABOUT NEW BOMB AND TO ACCEPT SURRENDER TERMS. RESPECTIFULLY URGE THAT AMPLE OPPORTUNITY BE GIVEN JAPAN TO RECONSIDER ULTIMATUM BEFORE ANY FURTHER DEVASTATION BY ATOMIC BOMB IS VISITED UPON HER PEOPLE
FEDERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN AMERICAN
SAMUEL MCCREA CAVERT GENERAL SECRETARY.
----- Message -----
From: Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America
Sent: Saturday, 11 August 1945
To: Samuel M. Cavert, General Secretary, Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America
August 11, 1945
My dear Mr. Cavert:
I appreciated very much your telegram of August ninth.
Nobody is more disturbed over the use of Atomic bombs than I am but I was greatly disturbed over the unwarranted attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor and their murder of our prisoners of war. The only language they seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them.
When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true.
Sincerely yours,
HARRY S. TRUMAN
Mr. Samuel McCrea Cavert
General Secretary
Federal Council of
The Churches of Christ in America
New York City, New York
Source(s):
The Truman Library
Added By:
C. Peter Chen
Photographs
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Associated Figure(s):» Harry Truman
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» Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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23 May 2019 09:35:37 AM
Many say that Cavert tried to further message and reply to the President's response further advocating the churches views, however, Truman never replied and the other telegrams seem to have no record.