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284840449
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White House Press Release, Correspondence Between President Harry S. Truman and Henry Ford II
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doc
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
284840449
contentType
document
title
White House Press Release, Correspondence Between President Harry S. Truman and Henry Ford II
citationUrl
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White House Press Release Files (Truman Administration)
White House Press Releases
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284840449
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26
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1947-09-26
month
9
year
1947
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nara-archive
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82b589e60169ac47
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372
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 1947
The President today sent the following letter to Mr. Henry Ford, II:
September 26, 1947
Dear Mr. Ford:
In view of the pressing obligations which you have as President
of the Ford Motor Company, I feel that I have no alternative but to accede
to your request that you be relieved of your responsibilities as a member
of the Air Policy Commission. I do, however, hope that you will be avail-
able for consultation from time to time with the Commission on matters
affecting the industrial phases of the problem.
Please accept my thanks for the time and study which you have
already devoted to the important problems facing the Air Policy Commission.
Sincerely,
HARRY S. TRUMAN
Mr. Henry Ford II,
President,
Ford Motor Company,
Dearborn, Michigan.
Text of the letter to the President from Mr. Ford follows:
September 16, 1947
The President
The White House
Washington, D.C.
NARA
Dear Mr. President:
With great reluctance I must ask you to accept my resignation as
a member of the Air Policy Commission. It is now quite apparent that I
cannot, during the period stipulated, give the time and study necessary to
arrive at an intelligent judgment on the many important problems you have
assigned to the Commission.
The fact of the matter is that I have pressing obligations here
in Dearborn which I cannot shirk, and which seem to be multiplying rather
than diminishing. Shortages of steel and other materials, readjustments
of employee relationships because of new legislation, design and production
of new models--these are only a few of the matters demanding my constant
and close attention as we continue every effort to keep our mass production
machinery turning.
In retrospect I can see that it was unwise of me to think that I
could discharge the responsibilities of membership on the Air Policy Com-
mission in addition to those already undertaken here. The truth is that it
was not until I had served for several weeks that I began to realize that
the importance and scope of the Commission's work required my attendance at
all meetings---a full time job.
Even as I write this letter, for example, important public hearings
before the Commission are opening in Washington, and it is quite impossible
for me to be in Washington this week. I am sure that this situation will
repeat itself constantly during the all too few weeks which remain for
completion of the Commission's business.
I am sincerely sorry that I shall not be able to continue working
with the other members of the Commission-all of whom I have come to respect
greatly-in their efforts to formulate an integrated air policy for our
country.
Yours respectfully,
HENRY FORD, II