Cornerstone Laying of the United Nations Building | October 24, 2025
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
CORNERSTONE LAYING OF THE UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
New York, New York
October 24, 1949
“THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD ARE OF ONE MIND IN THEIR DETERMINATION TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS BY WORKING TOGETHER.”
ON THIS DAY in 1949, President Harry S. Truman headlined the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the United Nations Headquarters.
“The United Nations is essentially an expression of the moral nature of man’s aspirations. The Charter clearly shows our determination that international problems must be settled on a basis acceptable to the conscience of mankind.”
Exactly four years after the UN Charter officially came into force, President Truman urged the world to rise above division and act with common purpose. He understood the United Nations not merely as an institution, but as a moral and practical force.
“These are the most important buildings in the world, for they are the center of man’s hope for peace and a better life. …
Our vision is of a better world in which men and nations can live together, respecting one another’s rights and cooperating in building a better life for all. Our efforts are made in the belief that men and nations can cooperate, and that there are no international problems which men of good will cannot solve or adjust.”
The speech was more than ceremony—it was a call to action for an act of faith.
“The laying of this cornerstone is an act of faith—our unshakable faith that the United Nations will succeed… But faith without works is dead. We must make our devotion to the ideals of the Charter as strong as the steel in this building … as firm as the rock on which this building rests.”
LISTEN TO THE HISTORIC RECORDING
PICTURING HISTORY
SIX CHIEFS of the Iroquois Confederacy’s Six Nations (Haudenosaunee) were among the 10,000 dignitaries, officials and world citizens who attended the cornerstone-laying ceremony. Haudenosaunee leaders would continue to engage with the international body, ultimately paving the way for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted in 2007.
IN THE VAULT
WHAT’S INSIDE THE CORNERSTONE? Dedicated by Secretary-General Trygve Lie, the UN cornerstone encased copies of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, documents that outline the organization’s core values of preserving peace, affirming human rights and promoting international cooperation.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
HONORING THE LEGACY
SOMETIMES, HISTORY REMEMBERS US not for what we start, but for what we finish. In October 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson did just that when he traveled to Harry Truman’s hometown to sign legislation designating October 24 as United Nations Day. Franklin D. Roosevelt may have coined the term “United Nations” in 1941, but it was Harry Truman, LBJ argued, who was critical to its founding. President Johnson’s message that day stands as one of the most eloquent tributes to Truman’s hopes for humanity, democracy and the American people.
“I am aware how difficult it is for any citizen—or any President—to pay adequate tribute to Harry S. Truman, who in his lifetime has given so much to this Nation and all its people. But today, Mr. President, we are going to try. …
President Truman took on the duties of the Presidency at a tragic and critical moment in this country’s history. We were emerging from the worst war the world had ever known. The deep yearning for peace touched the soul of every man alive. President Truman spoke for the world with his determination to turn the United Nations from a hope into a living reality. And through every day of his Presidency, he worked to strengthen that organization, and make it worthy of the aspirations mankind poured into it.
Generations still unborn will remember and be grateful to Harry Truman for his leadership in that dark and confusing time. …
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