December 16, 1950 – President Truman Declares National State of Emergency Over Communist Threat

On this day in history, President Harry Truman declared a national emergency over the perceived threat of communism he felt had just increased exponentially by the massive Chinese intervention in the Korean War.

The United Steel Workers of America threatened a strike at that very time, which would have imperiled steel production at a time when nearly all military weapons required steel.

Thus Truman also issued Executive Order 10340, which followed the national emergency declaration, so Truman could order the Secretary of Commerce to take possession of and operate plants and facilities of steel companies to ensure the manufacture of “the weapons and other materials needed by our armed forces and by those joined with us in the defense of the free world.”

President Truman signing a proclamation declaring a national emergency that initiated U.S. involvement in the Korean War

Proclaiming that “Communist imperialism” threatened the world’s people, Truman called upon the American people to help construct an “arsenal of freedom.”

Despite Truman’s argument that his position as commander-in-chief afforded him the power to make all military decisions, the Supreme Court ultimately ruled 6-3 in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer (343 US 579, 1952), that Truman lacked the constitutional authority to nationalize the steel industry. As summarized by Oyez:

The Court found that there was no congressional statute that authorized the President to take possession of private property. The Court also held that the President’s military power as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces did not extend to labor disputes. The Court argued that ‘the President’s power to see that the laws are faithfully executed refutes the idea that he is to be a lawmaker.’”