September 22, 2025 • 17 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, during World War II, U.S. leaders feared German bombers could strike American soil. To protect the nation’s most important treasures—the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and the Magna Carta, Britain’s most important document, which was on loan at the time—they were secretly moved to Fort Knox. Author Steve Puleo of American Treasures shares the remarkable story of how the documents that shaped freedom in both England and America were safeguarded during one of history’s darkest hours. We'd like to thank the U.S. National Archives for allowing us access to this audio.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
If you ask most Americans to name the three most
important documents in our country, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution,
and the Gettysburg Address would likely top their lists. It
certainly topped Franklin Roosevelt's and Secret Service agent, Harry Neils,
(00:34):
and Archibald MacLeish, the Librarian of Congress. All three of
these men played a critical role in moving America's most
important documents out of Washington, d C. As the world
geared up for war. Here to share the story is
Steve Pulio, author of American Treasures. Let's get into the story.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
These documents, their artifacts, These documents their symbols. These documents
are dat today blueprints by which we operate. They're all
of those gathered into one. And guess what Roosevelt and
McLeish and Harry Neil were thinking about that during the
Second World War. I want you to think about this.
(01:17):
After Pearl Harbor is attacked under seventy seventh of nineteen
forty one, Washington goes into lockdown, gun emplacements on the
roofs centuries at the War Department, the White House goes dark.
There's debate on whether to paint the White House black.
Bulletproof glass is installed at the Oval office. Secret Service
(01:41):
gives gas masks to the White House staff. FDR kept
his on his wheelchair arm. Secret Service builds a seven
hundred and fifty foot zigzag tunnel that links the White
House with a Treasury department in case FDR and his
staff needed to get over there for safety. Food down there,
clothing down there, toilet facilities, office space down there. FDR
(02:05):
said to Treasury Secretary Henry Morgan, thou Henry, I'm not
going down there unless I can play poker with all
the gold in your vaults. Never does go down there,
but that tunnel still classified. But Washington is in lockdown.
There is real fear of German bombers, real fear of sabotage.
(02:28):
These even talk folks about re routing the flow of
the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. Why is that, Because at
the confluence of those rivers, pilots could get a fix
on the White House.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
So there's even talk about that.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
FDR says during a press conference in February of nineteen
forty two, during a press conference. The Germans can probably
come in and bomb New York City or Washington, DC tonight.
Under certain circumstances, they might even be able to reach
Detroit and bomb it. Wow, pretty stunning what FDR knew
(03:07):
and only some people along the coast of the United
States knew, but certainly not all Americans knew. And so
the other thing that was going on is that German
U boats were sinking American merchant ships up and down
the East Coast with impunity. They sink about six hundred
of them from January to August of nineteen forty two,
(03:27):
six hundred of them Cape May, Cape Hatteras, Virginia Beach,
the Outer Banks, Jacksonville, killing grounds for U boats. There
is palpable fear, palpable fear, and one of the great fears,
and FDR feels himself a tremendous steward of these documents.
(03:50):
One of the great fears is that these documents would
be destroyed by bombs or by sabotage, and the hit
to the national site key would be devastating. So we
need to get those documents out of Washington now. Plans
had begun about a year earlier, even more than a
(04:10):
year earlier, in the fall of nineteen forty, Roosevelt McLeish huddle.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
They see what's happening in England.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
The British lose thousands of documents when libraries are hit
books manuscripts, mostly by Jewish writers, but others too in archives.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
So that's when the planning begins.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Archibald McLeish Library and of Congress says to his staff,
I want you to put together what we have that
is utterly irreplaceable and unique, and then we're gonna triize
them level one, level two, all the way down to
level six. Level six still very important documents, but.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
That's how we're going to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Seven months or so before Pearl Harbor, about seven hundred
Library of Congress volunteers spend about ten thousand hours assessing, cataloging,
and packing critical documents five thousand boxes of documents, the
President's papers, Washington's Diaries, notes of the Continental Congress, the
(05:16):
con Social Convention Notes, Samuel Morse's first telegraph message, What
hath God wrought? Letter from Queen Victoria to Mary Todd
Lincoln after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, where Queen Victoria
says how much he feels for Mary Lincoln because she
has barely gotten over the death of Prince Albert just
a few months earlier. So this incredible collection of Americana
(05:40):
gets packed up, and when America finally goes to war,
the ball starts to roll to get these out of Washington.
Starts on December twenty sixth, the day after America's Pearl Harbor.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Christmas very eerie Christmas for Americans.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Many Americans are wondering what are their family members would
be there the next Christmas, so it's a very kind
of eerie Christmas. The day after that, the Library of
Congress and the Secret Service pack up the Declaration of Independence,
the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and a few other documents.
A few other what they call first tier documents, the
(06:20):
Articles of Confederation, the Gutenberg Bible, Lincoln's second Inaugural Address,
and one other non American document, the Magna Carta from
twelve to fifty, which is in the United States because
it was on display at the nineteen thirty nine New
York City World's Fair, and when war breaks out in Europe,
(06:40):
the Brits ask.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Us to hold onto it for safekeeping.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Archibald MacLeish made this joke that he thought Jefferson would
find it kind of interesting and ironic that the Magna
Carter was right next to the Declaration of Independence, and
the Secret Service transports it from the Library of Congress
to Union Station, puts it on a train under heavy
guard and complete secrecy. In the train rumbles out to Louisville, Kentucky.
The documents according to the gold Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And you've been listening to author Steve Pulio telling one
heck of a story about not only our most precious documents,
but also the Magna Carta, which had been in America
on loan. When we come back, more of the story
of saving America's most important documents during World War Two.
(07:28):
Here on our American Stories, lihabib. Here as we approach
our nation's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, I'd like to
remind you that all the history stories you hear on
this show are brought to you by the great folks
at Hillsdale College. And Hillsdale isn't just a great school
for your kids or grandkids to attend, but for you
as well. Go to Hillsdale dot edu to find out
about their terrific free online courses. Their series on communism
(07:52):
is one of the finest I've ever seen. Again, go
to Hillsdale dot edu and sign up for their free
and terrific online courses. And we returned to our American stories.
(08:12):
When we last left off, Roosevelt, Harry Neil and Archibald
MacLeish had decided to move America's most important documents to
Fort Knox, Kentucky. There were fears that Germany could fly
bombers into the United States to strike Washington, d C.
After all, the seas around Cape Hatteras, Cape May, and
Cape Cod had become killing grounds for German u boats.
(08:36):
These three men would be presented with a slight problem, though.
Let's return to the story. Here again is Steve Pulio.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Now, MacLeish had asked Morgenthau for room at Fort Knox.
He wanted some space to put a lot more. Morganbaut says,
because there's tons of gold here right already. Morganhal says,
you could have about sixty cubic feet. It's about the
size of freezer, folks, I mean, do your math. Sixty
cubic feet not much. So Aclice has to make do
(09:06):
with Fort Knox. But then the question becomes, where do
we take the rest of these incredibly important documents. Library
of staffers go on a road trip because here's what
they're looking for.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
They're looking for places that are.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Pretty far inland, or at least maybe fifty to one
hundred miles inland. They're looking for places that maybe have
mountains around them that bombers can't get to. They're looking
for places that are waterproof, fireproof, humidity proof.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
So they go on these.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Sojourn looking all around where can we put these documents
and they end up with college repositories, the University of
Virginia and Charlottesville, Washington and Lee and Lexington VMI Virginia
Military Institute in Lexington. But then they realize they still
don't have enough space, so they pick Dennison University in Grandville, Ohio,
about four hundred miles from Washington. Later on they really
(10:00):
that VMI has some humidity. They have to get them
out of there and they take them all to Denison.
So the University of Virginia, Washington, Lee, and Dennison become
the repository for these documents.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
They looked at many.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Places, over sixty places, Bowling Green, Kentucky had termites, couldn't
put them there. Roanoke College had a fireproof basement, but
it was near a swimming pool, too much humidity.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Couldn't put them there. So that's the kind of thing
that went in to the decision. This is all done
in complete secrecy, Folks.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Library of Congress does this, but they're not the only
people that do. With The National Gallery of Art relocates
some of its most valuable paintings, Goya's Rebrands or Raphael's
bought Toicelli's to the Biltmore House in North Carolina. New
York Public Library looks for caves. That was one of
the things that McLeish looked at too, But then there
was some real concerns because caves have leakage, caves have water.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Problems, caves have back entrances.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Sometime these documents, these critical documents, the Declaration, the Constitution,
the Gettysburg Address.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
They remain in Fort Knox, along with these.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Five thousand other boxes until September of nineteen forty four,
three months or so after D Day. Allies of moving
to Berlin from the west, the Russians coming from the east,
not too much concerned about an attack on the US mainland.
At that point, military intelligence says it's time to move
these documents and bring them east over the Alleghenies and
(11:32):
the Blue Ridge and bring them home.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And that's what happens.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
By the way, there was one exception prior to this
that took place on April thirteenth, nineteen forty three, the
two hundredth anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth, during the dedication
of the Jefferson Memorial. FDR is really concerned about American morale,
been at war for sixteen seventeen months. It's a slog
(11:57):
in April of forty three, he thinks the dedication of
the Jefferson Memorial and the display of the original Declaration
of Independence will really help boost American spirits. And so
the document has taken out of Fort Knox, nobody knows
where it came from, and put on display at the
Jefferson Memorial for one week under twenty four hour Marine guard.
(12:20):
Thousands of Americans come to see it, and then it
goes back to Fort Knox. One other part of this
story I need to tell you, and that is in
nineteen fifty two, December thirteenth, nineteen fifty two, Huge Day
huge parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. On Avenue that's seen many parades,
military bands, military vehicles, military personnel accompanying the original Declaration
(12:45):
and the original Constitution from the Library of Congress to
hear the National Archives. After many years of wrangling and
infighting in some turf battles between the Library of Congress
and the National Archives, decision finally gets made and President
Truman driving it to make it happen. But these documents
need to be put on display for all Americans to see.
(13:09):
And two days later, on December fifteenth, nineteen fifty two
Bill of Rights Day, President Harry Truman presides over the
ceremony the Enshrinement Great Word Right.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
The Enshinement Ceremony at the National.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Archives, one of Truman's last official acts as president. Ike
had just been elected in fifty two November, but this
was an important moment for him because he loved these
documents too.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
He knew the value of these documents, and he says
to the assembled crowd.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States are more than historical relics. They are a living
force in our life today. We may have some difficulty
in preserving the parchment on which these two documents have
been written, The ideas they set forth will never perish.
(14:04):
These documents express the highest principles of political life, that
all men have certain unalienable rights, and that the rule
of law stands above government and citizens alike. In our
own lifetime, we have learned anew the human misery that
(14:29):
an absolute power mad government can create. The death cramps
of Hitler, Germany are the modern Siberia demonstrate that the
unrestrained power of the government can be a greater evil
in our modern civilization than it ever was in ancient times.
(14:49):
They own a guarantee against such a society of fear
and cruelty, is the principle that the government is not
above the law. On this occasion we opt to pray
to Almighty God that the American people will remain faithful
to the spirit of the decoration of the Independence and
the Constitution.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
That if these documents are simply enshrined in these cases,
the ideas contained in them will die. That in order
for them to live on, and for the ideas embodied
in them to live on, they must be enshrined.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Quote in our hearts and minds. I think intrinsically inherently.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Most Americans know this. I think the one million people
that file through that rotunda every year know it. They
may not express it in those words, but I think
they know it, just like Adams and Jefferson and Dolly
Madison knew it. Just like Stephen pleasant and knew it,
(16:00):
just like Abraham Lincoln knew it, just like fdr and
MacLeish and Harry Neil knew it. These documents and the
ideas contained in them have been protected and preserved by others.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Harry Truman said to this crowd.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
That needs to continue to happen with this generation and
future generations that would be us.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Let us hope we get it right.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
And a terrific job by the production and editing by
our own Monty Montgomery. And a special thanks to Steve Pulio,
he's the author of American Treasures. And a special thanks
to the US National Archives for allowing us access to
this audio. It's a terrific resource for anyone who wants
to know anything about American life and American history. And
(16:50):
what a story we're told here shuttling these documents over mountains,
trying to find humidity free zones where they could be
protected and the big Ones. Well, they found their home
in Fort Knox, but countless others found their homes at
the University of Virginia. Wary I went to law school
and Dennison University, and then came the removal in nineteen
(17:13):
forty three. Had to be very dramatic, bringing the Declaration
of Independence back to the dedication of the Jefferson Memorial
and then right back to Fort Knox. Absolutely loved the
way Steve ended things. In the end, the ideas encapsulated
in the Declaration and the Constitution should not merely be
(17:33):
enshrined behind cases in Washington for visitors to view, but
have to be in our hearts and in our minds,
protected and preserved by each other for future generations. That's
what we try and do here at this show, each
and every day, the story of America's effort to preserve
our most important documents during World War Two. Here on
(17:55):
our American Stories.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
If you ask most Americans to name the three most
important documents in our country, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution,
and the Gettysburg Address would likely top their lists. It
certainly topped Franklin Roosevelt's and Secret Service agent, Harry Neils,
(00:34):
and Archibald MacLeish, the Librarian of Congress. All three of
these men played a critical role in moving America's most
important documents out of Washington, d C. As the world
geared up for war. Here to share the story is
Steve Pulio, author of American Treasures. Let's get into the story.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
These documents, their artifacts, These documents their symbols. These documents
are dat today blueprints by which we operate. They're all
of those gathered into one. And guess what Roosevelt and
McLeish and Harry Neil were thinking about that during the
Second World War. I want you to think about this.
(01:17):
After Pearl Harbor is attacked under seventy seventh of nineteen
forty one, Washington goes into lockdown, gun emplacements on the
roofs centuries at the War Department, the White House goes dark.
There's debate on whether to paint the White House black.
Bulletproof glass is installed at the Oval office. Secret Service
(01:41):
gives gas masks to the White House staff. FDR kept
his on his wheelchair arm. Secret Service builds a seven
hundred and fifty foot zigzag tunnel that links the White
House with a Treasury department in case FDR and his
staff needed to get over there for safety. Food down there,
clothing down there, toilet facilities, office space down there. FDR
(02:05):
said to Treasury Secretary Henry Morgan, thou Henry, I'm not
going down there unless I can play poker with all
the gold in your vaults. Never does go down there,
but that tunnel still classified. But Washington is in lockdown.
There is real fear of German bombers, real fear of sabotage.
(02:28):
These even talk folks about re routing the flow of
the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. Why is that, Because at
the confluence of those rivers, pilots could get a fix
on the White House.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
So there's even talk about that.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
FDR says during a press conference in February of nineteen
forty two, during a press conference. The Germans can probably
come in and bomb New York City or Washington, DC tonight.
Under certain circumstances, they might even be able to reach
Detroit and bomb it. Wow, pretty stunning what FDR knew
(03:07):
and only some people along the coast of the United
States knew, but certainly not all Americans knew. And so
the other thing that was going on is that German
U boats were sinking American merchant ships up and down
the East Coast with impunity. They sink about six hundred
of them from January to August of nineteen forty two,
(03:27):
six hundred of them Cape May, Cape Hatteras, Virginia Beach,
the Outer Banks, Jacksonville, killing grounds for U boats. There
is palpable fear, palpable fear, and one of the great fears,
and FDR feels himself a tremendous steward of these documents.
(03:50):
One of the great fears is that these documents would
be destroyed by bombs or by sabotage, and the hit
to the national site key would be devastating. So we
need to get those documents out of Washington now. Plans
had begun about a year earlier, even more than a
(04:10):
year earlier, in the fall of nineteen forty, Roosevelt McLeish huddle.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
They see what's happening in England.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
The British lose thousands of documents when libraries are hit
books manuscripts, mostly by Jewish writers, but others too in archives.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
So that's when the planning begins.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
Archibald McLeish Library and of Congress says to his staff,
I want you to put together what we have that
is utterly irreplaceable and unique, and then we're gonna triize
them level one, level two, all the way down to
level six. Level six still very important documents, but.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
That's how we're going to do it.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Seven months or so before Pearl Harbor, about seven hundred
Library of Congress volunteers spend about ten thousand hours assessing, cataloging,
and packing critical documents five thousand boxes of documents, the
President's papers, Washington's Diaries, notes of the Continental Congress, the
(05:16):
con Social Convention Notes, Samuel Morse's first telegraph message, What
hath God wrought? Letter from Queen Victoria to Mary Todd
Lincoln after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, where Queen Victoria
says how much he feels for Mary Lincoln because she
has barely gotten over the death of Prince Albert just
a few months earlier. So this incredible collection of Americana
(05:40):
gets packed up, and when America finally goes to war,
the ball starts to roll to get these out of Washington.
Starts on December twenty sixth, the day after America's Pearl Harbor.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Christmas very eerie Christmas for Americans.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Many Americans are wondering what are their family members would
be there the next Christmas, so it's a very kind
of eerie Christmas. The day after that, the Library of
Congress and the Secret Service pack up the Declaration of Independence,
the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and a few other documents.
A few other what they call first tier documents, the
(06:20):
Articles of Confederation, the Gutenberg Bible, Lincoln's second Inaugural Address,
and one other non American document, the Magna Carta from
twelve to fifty, which is in the United States because
it was on display at the nineteen thirty nine New
York City World's Fair, and when war breaks out in Europe,
(06:40):
the Brits ask.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Us to hold onto it for safekeeping.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Archibald MacLeish made this joke that he thought Jefferson would
find it kind of interesting and ironic that the Magna
Carter was right next to the Declaration of Independence, and
the Secret Service transports it from the Library of Congress
to Union Station, puts it on a train under heavy
guard and complete secrecy. In the train rumbles out to Louisville, Kentucky.
The documents according to the gold Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
And you've been listening to author Steve Pulio telling one
heck of a story about not only our most precious documents,
but also the Magna Carta, which had been in America
on loan. When we come back, more of the story
of saving America's most important documents during World War Two.
(07:28):
Here on our American Stories, lihabib. Here as we approach
our nation's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, I'd like to
remind you that all the history stories you hear on
this show are brought to you by the great folks
at Hillsdale College. And Hillsdale isn't just a great school
for your kids or grandkids to attend, but for you
as well. Go to Hillsdale dot edu to find out
about their terrific free online courses. Their series on communism
(07:52):
is one of the finest I've ever seen. Again, go
to Hillsdale dot edu and sign up for their free
and terrific online courses. And we returned to our American stories.
(08:12):
When we last left off, Roosevelt, Harry Neil and Archibald
MacLeish had decided to move America's most important documents to
Fort Knox, Kentucky. There were fears that Germany could fly
bombers into the United States to strike Washington, d C.
After all, the seas around Cape Hatteras, Cape May, and
Cape Cod had become killing grounds for German u boats.
(08:36):
These three men would be presented with a slight problem, though.
Let's return to the story. Here again is Steve Pulio.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Now, MacLeish had asked Morgenthau for room at Fort Knox.
He wanted some space to put a lot more. Morganbaut says,
because there's tons of gold here right already. Morganhal says,
you could have about sixty cubic feet. It's about the
size of freezer, folks, I mean, do your math. Sixty
cubic feet not much. So Aclice has to make do
(09:06):
with Fort Knox. But then the question becomes, where do
we take the rest of these incredibly important documents. Library
of staffers go on a road trip because here's what
they're looking for.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
They're looking for places that are.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Pretty far inland, or at least maybe fifty to one
hundred miles inland. They're looking for places that maybe have
mountains around them that bombers can't get to. They're looking
for places that are waterproof, fireproof, humidity proof.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
So they go on these.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Sojourn looking all around where can we put these documents
and they end up with college repositories, the University of
Virginia and Charlottesville, Washington and Lee and Lexington VMI Virginia
Military Institute in Lexington. But then they realize they still
don't have enough space, so they pick Dennison University in Grandville, Ohio,
about four hundred miles from Washington. Later on they really
(10:00):
that VMI has some humidity. They have to get them
out of there and they take them all to Denison.
So the University of Virginia, Washington, Lee, and Dennison become
the repository for these documents.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
They looked at many.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Places, over sixty places, Bowling Green, Kentucky had termites, couldn't
put them there. Roanoke College had a fireproof basement, but
it was near a swimming pool, too much humidity.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
Couldn't put them there. So that's the kind of thing
that went in to the decision. This is all done
in complete secrecy, Folks.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Library of Congress does this, but they're not the only
people that do. With The National Gallery of Art relocates
some of its most valuable paintings, Goya's Rebrands or Raphael's
bought Toicelli's to the Biltmore House in North Carolina. New
York Public Library looks for caves. That was one of
the things that McLeish looked at too, But then there
was some real concerns because caves have leakage, caves have water.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Problems, caves have back entrances.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Sometime these documents, these critical documents, the Declaration, the Constitution,
the Gettysburg Address.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
They remain in Fort Knox, along with these.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Five thousand other boxes until September of nineteen forty four,
three months or so after D Day. Allies of moving
to Berlin from the west, the Russians coming from the east,
not too much concerned about an attack on the US mainland.
At that point, military intelligence says it's time to move
these documents and bring them east over the Alleghenies and
(11:32):
the Blue Ridge and bring them home.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
And that's what happens.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
By the way, there was one exception prior to this
that took place on April thirteenth, nineteen forty three, the
two hundredth anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth, during the dedication
of the Jefferson Memorial. FDR is really concerned about American morale,
been at war for sixteen seventeen months. It's a slog
(11:57):
in April of forty three, he thinks the dedication of
the Jefferson Memorial and the display of the original Declaration
of Independence will really help boost American spirits. And so
the document has taken out of Fort Knox, nobody knows
where it came from, and put on display at the
Jefferson Memorial for one week under twenty four hour Marine guard.
(12:20):
Thousands of Americans come to see it, and then it
goes back to Fort Knox. One other part of this
story I need to tell you, and that is in
nineteen fifty two, December thirteenth, nineteen fifty two, Huge Day
huge parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. On Avenue that's seen many parades,
military bands, military vehicles, military personnel accompanying the original Declaration
(12:45):
and the original Constitution from the Library of Congress to
hear the National Archives. After many years of wrangling and
infighting in some turf battles between the Library of Congress
and the National Archives, decision finally gets made and President
Truman driving it to make it happen. But these documents
need to be put on display for all Americans to see.
(13:09):
And two days later, on December fifteenth, nineteen fifty two
Bill of Rights Day, President Harry Truman presides over the
ceremony the Enshrinement Great Word Right.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
The Enshinement Ceremony at the National.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Archives, one of Truman's last official acts as president. Ike
had just been elected in fifty two November, but this
was an important moment for him because he loved these
documents too.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
He knew the value of these documents, and he says
to the assembled crowd.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States are more than historical relics. They are a living
force in our life today. We may have some difficulty
in preserving the parchment on which these two documents have
been written, The ideas they set forth will never perish.
(14:04):
These documents express the highest principles of political life, that
all men have certain unalienable rights, and that the rule
of law stands above government and citizens alike. In our
own lifetime, we have learned anew the human misery that
(14:29):
an absolute power mad government can create. The death cramps
of Hitler, Germany are the modern Siberia demonstrate that the
unrestrained power of the government can be a greater evil
in our modern civilization than it ever was in ancient times.
(14:49):
They own a guarantee against such a society of fear
and cruelty, is the principle that the government is not
above the law. On this occasion we opt to pray
to Almighty God that the American people will remain faithful
to the spirit of the decoration of the Independence and
the Constitution.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
That if these documents are simply enshrined in these cases,
the ideas contained in them will die. That in order
for them to live on, and for the ideas embodied
in them to live on, they must be enshrined.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Quote in our hearts and minds. I think intrinsically inherently.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Most Americans know this. I think the one million people
that file through that rotunda every year know it. They
may not express it in those words, but I think
they know it, just like Adams and Jefferson and Dolly
Madison knew it. Just like Stephen pleasant and knew it,
(16:00):
just like Abraham Lincoln knew it, just like fdr and
MacLeish and Harry Neil knew it. These documents and the
ideas contained in them have been protected and preserved by others.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Harry Truman said to this crowd.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
That needs to continue to happen with this generation and
future generations that would be us.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Let us hope we get it right.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
And a terrific job by the production and editing by
our own Monty Montgomery. And a special thanks to Steve Pulio,
he's the author of American Treasures. And a special thanks
to the US National Archives for allowing us access to
this audio. It's a terrific resource for anyone who wants
to know anything about American life and American history. And
(16:50):
what a story we're told here shuttling these documents over mountains,
trying to find humidity free zones where they could be
protected and the big Ones. Well, they found their home
in Fort Knox, but countless others found their homes at
the University of Virginia. Wary I went to law school
and Dennison University, and then came the removal in nineteen
(17:13):
forty three. Had to be very dramatic, bringing the Declaration
of Independence back to the dedication of the Jefferson Memorial
and then right back to Fort Knox. Absolutely loved the
way Steve ended things. In the end, the ideas encapsulated
in the Declaration and the Constitution should not merely be
(17:33):
enshrined behind cases in Washington for visitors to view, but
have to be in our hearts and in our minds,
protected and preserved by each other for future generations. That's
what we try and do here at this show, each
and every day, the story of America's effort to preserve
our most important documents during World War Two. Here on
(17:55):
our American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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