Letter from E. P. Bly to President Harry S. Truman

are San Francisco, California October 29, 1945 Military Training President Harry S. Truman The White House. Washington, D. C. P.P.F. 200 My dear Mr. President: message bon copy I wish to protest against the idea of having every boy serve one year in the Army as a compulsory requirement. There may be good political, or trading reasons, why this idea should be advanced, but I feel sure it isn't sound as an actual plan for the future. What we want is to have you fellows work out a practical and effective world police system. The United Nations and the United Nations police system has got to be made to work. I have my roots in the West here where in the old days, everybody was his own law. Almost everybody carried his own shooting iron. The world is that way today and we must have something differ- ent, - law and order (and properly constituted and effective policing). Finally we got a police system in the West here and of course have really a magnificent one throughout the whole country. This doesn't mean that every boy has to be a policeman for a whole year of his life. It would be a waste of time and money. The universal military training program for every youth of the country will also be a waste of time and money. This is a lazy man's way of solving the problem, and of course makes a lot of jobs. (for politicians and bureaucrats). Excuse the warmth in the comment, - but we must constantly strive to think of less expensive and less complicated government rather than the contrary. I thoroughly agree with your plan for a strong Navy, and we must have an equally strong Army. We are now speaking especially of the Army. I advocate we spend all the necessary money on a good gen- eral staff, unequalled research, and a strong professional Army. Perhaps we could even introduce courses in the schools to give every boy (according to his bent and liking) a basic knowledge of the new weapons and procedures of war. I think it would be a good thing if every boy knew more about our police department and police system (and in the same way, he could advantageously know more about our Army than the schools normally teach).