Letter from T. B. Wallace to Bess W. Truman

GENERAL Kansas City, Missouri, April 20, 1945. Mrs. Harry Truman, White House, Washington, D. C. Dear Bess: I am writing this letter about a matter in which you may possibly be able to give me some assistance, or at lease some advice or direction. It concerns my nephew, Dr. Hilen K. Wallace of Saint Joseph, Missouri, son of my brother Dr. C. H. Wallace, now eighty-seven years old, and a retired physician of that place. I have some hesitancy in writing the President on this sub ject. As you perhaps know, I have never had occasion to call on Harry for a favor, except once when I asked him to give me an intro- duction to the regional director of the Labor Relations Board in Kansas City. I had a matter to take up with this officer, which I preferred to take up with him direct rather then through the clerks in his office. Harry seemed glad to extend me this courtesy and took up the telephone and made an appointment for me with this officer. In the instant matter I thought it best to explain to you the situation and that you might go over the matter with Harry at such convenient time as an opportunity may offer, and learn from him the proper proceedure or move on Dr. Wallace's part to accomplish what he wants to do - viz, to be retired from the army service. Dr. Hilen is Chief of Staff at the McCaw General Hospital, Walla Walla, Washington, a neuro surgical center where most of the surgery is done by specialists. Dr. Hilen Wallace volunteered for service in Worl War I, and was sent to a base hospital at Savanay, France, where he served two and one-half years, and was released eight months after the armistice. When the present war came on he volunteered again, leaving his office and giving up a good practice, expecting to go overseas as a general surgeon, but his age was against him for that work. After a