Political
Albert Gore, Sr. House Collection
One of the collections that relates to politics during the time of World
War II is the Albert Gore, Sr. House Collection.
Albert Gore, Sr., was serving in the House of Representatives, representing
the 4th district in Tennessee, when the United States entered World War II.
Prior to the war the young and energetic Gore fought hard for total
mobilization of American resources towards Nazi and Japanese aggression. In
an address on June 8, 1941, on the "American Forum of the Air" show, Gore
outlined his plan for America's future political operations and continued
preparedness. Gore warned Americans against future Nazi appeasement policies
and lobbied against a negotiated peace with Hitler. Gore reinforced his
stance against the Axis Powers when he appeared on the "American Forum of
the Air" on October 12, 1941, and openly attacked "The Neutrality Law"
stating, "The United States has an undeniable right to consider the problem
of neutrality legislation from the standpoint of her own self-interest. In
doing so, we must not make the mistake of assuming that an act which would
be helpful to another nation, even though the nation be at war, will not, at
the same time, be helpful to us." Gore continued to stress "freedom of the
seas" and acute awareness of the belligerent powers surrounding the United
States. Realizing the situation in Europe and Asia was growing more
desperate, Gore lobbied for the repeal of the "Neutrality Law" and called on
the United States, as a world power, to take on more responsibility in world
affairs.
In 1942 Gore campaigned hard against inflationary measures and became a
leading advocate for price control at home. Gore fought for economic
mobility and stressed the need for war-bonds. By latter part of 1942, Gore
became a champion among the people when he attended the "Town-Meeting" in
Columbus, Ohio. Gore went on to explain the roles of congress in wartime
declaring, "Congress's first and foremost role is to see to a quick and
decisive victory over their enemies."
In 1943 Gore became involved in the campaign to sell war-bonds. He gave patriotic speeches, such as the "Gallatin War Bond Rally," in an effort to get Americans to support the war effort by purchasing war-bonds. Gore continued to contribute to the war effort by making public appearances and rousing patriotic speeches to fellow Americans about the strength of the American military and the righteousness of the American cause. The Gore Collection contains two such addresses, "A Question of Time" (Nashville) and "Navy Day" (Knoxville), in which Gore praised the American military machine while denouncing America's enemies.
In February 1944, Gore played a key role in the "Soldier Vote Bill"
where he lobbied to have uniform federal ballots provided for military
personnel abroad who wanted to vote in the national elections. Gore was
also instrumental in the passage of the "G.I. Bill of Rights" where he
urged fellow members of congress to vote in favor of the bill.
The Albert Gore, Sr. House Collection has two major series with material on the World War II topic. The "Broadcast" series, arranged chronologically and covering the years 1940-1951, contains transcripts of Albert Gore's weekly broadcasts on WSM radio. The transcripts include discussions of United States' position of neutrality prior to being involved in the war, information regarding the Lend-Lease Aid Bill to Great Britain in 1941, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Other topics in the "Broadcast" series include discussions on the U.S. Navy's attacks on Japan, the creation of the G.I. Bill, victories in France, casualties in Normandy, and the demilitarization of Germany and Japan.
The "Writings" series contains information about neutrality, Adolf Hitler and the German empire, and economic issues.