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    "label": "Letter, Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bernard Montgomery",
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    "title": "Letter, Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bernard Montgomery",
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    "ocrText": "TUP SECRET\nDecember 31, 1944\nDear Monty:\nDimizo The Eisonhower Library\nBradley\nEnclosed is my outline plan covering operations as far as they\ncan be foreseen. The immediate thing is to give the enemy in\nthe salient a good beating, destroying everything we can.\nFollowing upon that, the plan concentrates everything for the\ndestruction of the enemy north of Prum--Bonn, and gives to you\nand Bradley each a specific task. The plan also provides for\ngreat strength north of the Ruhr when the Rhine is crossed. In\nthese principal features it exactly repeats my intentions as I\ngave them to you verbally on the train, on the 28th.\nIn the matter of command I do not agree that one Army Group\nCommander should fight his own battle and give orders to another\nArmy Group Commander. My plan places a complete U.S. Army under\ncommand of 21 Army Group, something that I consider militarily\nnecessary, and most assuredly reflects my confidence in you\npersonally. If these things were not true this decision could,\nin itself, be a most difficult one.\nYou know how greatly I've appreciated and depended upon your\nfrank and friendly counsel, but in your latest letter you dis-\nturb me by predictions of \"failure\" unless your exact opinions\nin the matter of giving you command over Bradley are met in\ndetail. I assure you that in this matter I can go no further.\nPlease read this document carefully and note how definitely I\nhave planned, after eliminating the salient, to build up the\n21 Army Group, give it a major task, and put that task under\nyour command. Moreover, Bradley will be close by your hq.\nI know your loyalty as a soldier and your readiness to devote\nyourself to assigned tasks. For my part I would deplorethe\nY\ndevelopment of such an unbridgeable gulf of convictions between\nus that we would have to present our differences to the cc/s. The\nconfusion and debate that would follow would certainly damage the\ngood will and devotion to a common cause that have made this\nAllied Force unique in history.\nAs ever, your friend,\n\"IKE\"\nDECLASSIFIED\nDOD DIR. 5200.9, SEPT. 27, 1958\nNE BY RJS DATE 2/2.4/67\nTOP SECRET"
}