Steel Strike Off: Government Seizes Plant in Dispute.
Steel Strike Off: Government Seizes Plant in Dispute.
Steel Strike Off: Government Seizes Plant in Dispute. In a dramatic and unprecedented move, President Truman orders government seizure of the nation's steel mills, minutes before a strike deadline, following a breakdown in negotiations. Six hundred thousand workers fire up the banked furnaces. Various exterior shots of steam or smoke coming from steel mills. President HARRY S. TRUMAN sits at a desk, waiting for his cue. Then he speaks: "Therefore, I am taking two actions. First, I am directing the Secretary of Commerce to take possession of the steel mills and to keep them operating. Second, I am directing the Acting Director of Defense Mobilization to get the representatives of the steel companies and the steel workers down here to Washington at the earliest possible date in a renewed effort to get them to settle their dispute." Blue collar workers walk toward plant for work day. Various shots of molten steel in blast furnaces.