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    "title": "Ford Newsletter, July-Sept. 1953",
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        "Department of Defense. 9/18/1947-",
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    "ocrText": "This document scanned from Box D1 of the Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nFOR RELEASE JULY 2\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nAdvances made by President Eisenhower toward reorganization of our ex-\ncessively cumbersome Federal government have put a new spark of life into gov-\nerpmental processes. As the first move toward a balanced budget, the President\nsought to streamline wherever possible. His military training taught him that\nno organization functions properly if there are too many bosses duplicating one\nanother's work,\nPresident Eisenhower's accomplishments toward the goal of more effec-\ntive and efficient government have been encouraging to the American public and\nto advocates of the Hoover Commission recommendations. The Internal Revenue\nDepartment, for instance, in the past, bungling around in left field, has been\nbrought closer to home plate. The Chief Executive has cut the unwieldy number\nof Internal Revenue Districts by one half.\nOther agencies which have come in for substantial pruning, and in some\ncases complete elimination, are the Defense Production Administration and the\nEconomic Stabilization agencies. In addition 20 RFC offices have been closed\nthroughout the \"ation.\nIn the Post Office Department experiments are under way to accomplish\nmore effective operation of this vital activity of our Federal government, A\nPresidential directive established a \"pilot\" region to test decentralization.\nLarge scale personnel reorganization has been effected in the past\nsix months resulting in closely-knit organization and more efficient operation\nof the various agencies.\nPruning and cultivating a garden, long overgrown with weeds is no\neasy job. But once the weeds have been eliminated, order restored, and the\nsunlight permitted to reach the roots of the plants, the garden can be ex-\npected to produce better than ever. President Eisenhower and the Congress\nhave held to this policy during the past five months and results will soon be\nevident in better service from your government for less money.\n***********\nCongress, in recent years, has spent no little time berating various\nfederal agencies whose \"big wigs\" insisted upon having at their disposal large\nchauffeur-driven limousines provided for them by taxpayers money. This prac-\nLIBRARY\npage two\ntice has been criticized in the past, but is being corrected under the new\nAdministration,\nBut while Congress casts its economy stones downtown in the direction\nof the Executive Agencies it would be wise to inspect its own glass house. Last\nweek I did some checking and to my surprise found that some little-known employ-\nees of the legislative branch of the government were enjoying the luxury of gov-\nernment-owned and operated limousines with chauffeurs.\nThe Architect of the Capitol, for example, with a salary of $15,000,\nfor a good many years has had limousine service at public expense nothing\nless than a 210 horsepower sedan with white sidewall tires and other frills.\nThe Assistant Architect of the Capitol, whose annual salary is $14800, has also\nbeen provided with an expensive sedan and driver.\nTo eliminate this needless expense I sponsored an amendment to prohibit\nthe expenditure of federal funds for the pruchase, operation or repair of such\nspecial cars for these two well-paid employees of the legislative branch. The\nHouse of Representatives agreed with my amendment. If the Senate concurs, next\nyear more progress can be made in cutting down on some of the special vehicles\nprovided employees of the House and Senate/ This practice has developed without\ntoo much publicity, but it is my contention that in all fairness to all taxpayers\na very definite line must be drawn to eliminate these unnecessary luxuries. In\nthe future, we'll be looking forward to seeing considerably fewer deluxe automo-\nbiles parked in the vicinity of Capitol Hill.\nThe Department of Defense appropriation bill was approved by the Commit-\ntee on Appropriations with a further cut of 1.3 billion dollars below the budget\npresented by President Eisenhower and 6.2 billion dollars less than the Truman\nbudget. My subcommittee, in charge of the Army funds, reduced the requested a-\nmount by $689 million. The cuts will eliminate unnecessary and uneconomical oper-\nations and programs without any decrease in our military strength, Our commit-\ntee bill is the result of extensive hearings, careful analysis and deliberate ac-\ntion. I assure you that we would be the last ones to make hap-hazard cuts in an\nappropriation which means so much to the security of our nation.\nVisitors: Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Matthews and daughter Jean, Mr. and Mrs.\nS. H. VanderMeer, Delores Konyndyk, Janet Smith, Mrs. John M. Nelson, Arthur H.\nGerman, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cox, Si Albert, and Seth Pidwell of Grand Rapids.\nMr. and Mrs. Lloyd McLaughlin and family, Ruth Ver Duin of Grand Haven,\nFlorence Becker of Holland.\nFOR RELEASE JULY 9\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nThe dramatic crisis over excess profits tax legislation reached\na. climax barlier last week and might have provided enough excitement\nfor an entire month of legislative action, nevertheless we can expect\nlarge doses of \"hot\" news to break into the headlines at frequent in-\ntervals in the remaining weeks of this session.\nWednesday of this past week saw the culmination of many long\nmonths of eye-straining and brain-tingling scrutiny of the defense\nbudget. The military subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropria-\ntions, fertified with facts and figures acquired during the long and\ncomplicated hearings, presented its bill to the other 426 members of\nthe House of Representatives.\nWe expected a certain amount of opposition and it was forth-\ncoming. In most instances, however, when the committee made known its\nreasons for the various cuts in items in the defense budget, the com-\nmittee recommendations were readily accepted. But before full emplana-\ntion for each item was given, I'm afraid my collegues were more like\nvultures than thefriendly fellows I work with. Cn the whole however,\nthey're reasonable chaps and though a few bristled at decreases in the\nresearch and development appropriation, for example, they became less\nvehement in their opposition when the committee pointed out that there\nwere over 39 million dollars in un-expended and over 400 million un-\nobligated funds available in the Army alone for this purpose.. IN AD-\nDITION TO the allocation which the committee recommended for this year,\nResearch is important if our Army is to be the best in the world. We\nwant our G.I.'s to have the finest guns and the most modern tanks, yet\nit would be unwarranted extravagance to appropriate hard-earned tax dol-\nlars for such purposes ifthe money would not be spent wisely.\nIt was anticipated that a big explosion would be set off when\nthe Airforce budget came up for consideration. Congressman Mahon of Tes-\nas had many strong supporters of his amendment which would add over one\nbillion dollars to the Airforce appropriation, but on the crucial vote\nhis amendment was defeated overwhelmingly. The evidence was convincing\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\npage two\nthat the effectiveness of the airforce would not be hampered by the\nreductions recommended by President Eisenhower. Some people contend the\nmere appropriation of billions of dollars means Uncle Sam will have the\nbest Airforce. This is certainly not the case. President Eisenhower\nand Secretary of Defense Wilson want an Airforce actually equipped with\nplanes, pilots, and the necessary bases. For too long a time, despite\nthe appropriation of billions by Congress, the Airforce has had \"paper\"\nwings, because of non-delivery of planes, poor personnel management, and\nwaste in the construction of airfields. These conditions will be correc-\nted under Ike and the new military leaders.\nNow that the major work of my Defense Department sub-committee\nhas been completed, the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Con-\ngressman Tabor, was afraid that I might have a little spare time and\nassigned me to the sub-committee on Mutual Security.\nFor the next few weeks therefore, I shall be a member of the\ncommittee considering the actual appropriations for foreign aid. If any\nof you should be confused by the Mutual Security bill which passed the\nHouse a few weeks ago, that bill merely authorized appropriations and\nset a limit on the amount Congress could appropriate for foreign aid.\nNow it remains for the special committee to which I have been assigned\nto screen the foreign aid budget, item by item. It is contended that\nadditional cuts can be made, If this is possible I shall certainly do\nmy part in making the reductions.\nVisitors who braved the July heat to visit their Nation's Capital:\nMr. and Mrs. William Sytsema, Mr. and Mrs. Si Schippers, Luella Brady,\nAudrey Snyder, David TerMeer, Patricial Zahm, Esther Hartmen, Mr. A.E.\nUnderhill, Joanne E. Schields, Delores Sayles, Mrs. Cedric Sayles, Mr.\nand Mrs. William Kuiper of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. James W. Clark,\nMr. and Mrs. Wilfred Paull of Rockford.\nFORD (TERAP)\nFOR RELEASE JULY 16\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nConfined to our committee room for exceptionally long periods\nof time this past week, I hardly feel qualified to discuss anything but\nmutual security appropriations in this column. Our nine-member sub-\ncommittee literally burned the midnight oil ferreting out every detail\nof the foreign aid budget and we have accomplished an encouraging a-\nmount of work. The committee expects to make its report in a matter of\ndays but until that time hearings are in progress. The committee in-\ntends to persever in its search for every possible cut of unnecessary\nitems from this very important appropriation bill. The committee's\nrecommendations will be based on this criteria -- how much can and\nshould Uncle Sam spend for his own military and economic security.\n*\n*\n*\n*\nMore and more encouraging reports are being made by the Exec-\nutive branch of our government which prove that economy hasn't been\njust a matter of talk, nor has the attitude prevailed that economy is\nsomething the other fellow should practice. For the most part, each\nand every department has made every effort to cooperate to the maximum\nin saving our tax dollars.\nOver in the Commerce Department, Secretary Weeks ordered the\nshutdown by July 31 of 11 of his department's 42 field offices through-\nout the country.\nAt the White House 14 lower priced sedans have replaced costly\nlimousines which had been used during the former Administration.\nThe Veterans Administration has consolidated many of its\ndivisions into fewer tightly organized and smoothly functioning divisions.\nFor example, the agency's personnel, administrative services, and pur***\nchasing branches are being combined under one administrator for better\nservice to veterans at less cost.\n*\n*\n*\n*\n*\nPresident Eisenhower recently announced his intention to revoke\nthe Truman \"gag\" order on news from executive agencies. This order gave\nalmost unrestricted censorship authority to all Federal agencies, whether\npage twn\nor not connected with efense work, and was bitterly criticized by the\nnation's press. A new order will give limited classification power to\nsensitive agencies only.\nThere's been more heat in Washington than that generated by\nOld Sol alone. Senators and Representatives along with the general pub-\nlic are getting hot under the collar extracting information from rebellious\nwitnesses mostly alleged communists, who, as it turns out, aren't such\ncool customers themselves.\nIt has been g enerally agreed that the wholesale recourse to\nimmunity by commie-tinged party-liners under the Fifth Amendment has hope-\nlessly frustrated the work of several otherwise highly effective commit-\ntees of Congress. It is generally agreed, too, that something must be\ndone about this refusal to answer on the grounds of self-incimination.\nObviously, it is necessary to change the letter of the law.\nAnd here's where the difficulty arises. Should the Amendment be changed\nto eliminate the possibility of its abuse but also to protect those who\nhave a right to its legitimate use? Actually, two fundamental princi-\nples must be kept in mind: the full exercise of legislative and investiga-\ntive powers conferred on Congress must not be interfered with and at the\nsame time witnesses must be assured maximum fairness.\nAt the present time many bills are pending in the Congress\nwhich their advocates believe would solve the problem in one way or ano-\nther. Congressman Keating, Republican of New York has championed a bill\nwhich would establish a \"bill of rights\" for witnesses called to testify\nbefore congressional committees. He has also submitted a bill which\nwould give Congressional committees immediate access to court decision\nas to whether or not a witness may declare immunity under the Fifth Amend-\nment.\nOn July 9, the Senate passed a bill which would permit two-\nthirds of the full committee concerned or a majority of the members of\none of the Houses of Congress to grant immunity to a witness if he so de-\nsires. On the other hand, if a witness fails to receive this supporting\nvote he may be cited for contempt of Congress.\nGenerally speaking, we may say that too many witnesses have\noverstepped their bounds in refusing to answer justifiable questions and\nPage three\nyet it is very difficult to draw the line between the so-called con-\ntempt and legitimate silence. A Congressional sub-committee has been\nestablished to study the various details and consêquences of the re-\nquired legislation. It is hoped they will be able to report a satis-\nfactory solution to the problems which have been besieging congressional\ninvestigating committees.\n*\n*\n*\n#\nVisitors: Foster D. Poe, William Gedris of Grand Rapids.\nFOR RELEASE JULY 23\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nLast week after members of the Foreign Aid sub-Committee on Appropriations\nhad heard many wintesses point out the benefits of this program, President Eisenhower\nhimself invited us to breakfast at the White House. The invitation said 8 a.m. so\nten Congressmen on our Committee, General Gruenther, boss of the combined allied\nforces in Europe, Budget Director Dodge and Mutual Security Administrator Stassen,\nassembled at the White House a few minutes ahead of the appointed hour. For obvious\nreason Emily Post frowns on tardiness on such an occasion.\nBefore getting to the serious side of the breakfast conference let me tell\nof an amusing incident. It is customary when you arrive for a White House meal, for\nan aide to greet you and indicate precisely where you are to be seated at the table.\nA la Washington style, place cards are arranged strictly according to protocol. On\nthis occasion however, the President, after greeting everyone with his most infectious\nsmile, grabbed two guests by the arm and asked them to sit next to him. Lo and behold\nthe President's graciousness had fouled up the seating arrangement! The little mix\nup reminded all the men present how similar incidents in the past have put us in the\ndog house with each of our wives.\nWhat did President Eisenhower talk about? First, Ike said he was unalterably\nopposed to any give away program. Second, he was in favor of foreign aid only because\nit was the cheapest and most effective way for the United States to protect itself.\nThe President looks upon this program as a part of the whole national defense program.\nIf Uncle Sam doesn't spend the money to help our allies, he believes, our nation will\nbe forced to spend many times more money and lives to keep aggressors from our own\nUnited States borders.\nThe President did not tell the ten Congressmen to make no cuts in his bud-\nget for foreign aid. In fact, he expressed the opinion that reductions should be made\nif they could be factually justified.\nFollowing the breakfast, the committee returned to its sanctum at the Cap-\nitol where we worked diligently most of the day and far into the night on the dollar\namounts to be included in the appropriation bill. It was no easy task and no one\ntook the responsiblity lightly. The final result showed that the committee had cut\nabout $1.1 from a total of $7.3 billion. Did the committee go contrary to the Pres-\nident's request? I doubt it. We can show where the extra money could not be wisely\nLIBRARY\npage two\nspent in the next year. The cut was a fair and reasonable compromise between\nwidely divergent points of view. It will permit the United States to work with our\nallies in destroying the ruthless communist dictators behind the Iron Curtain. This\nis a job which we cannot do alone.\nReports of large reductions in Federal payrolls have been coming in from\nvarious government agencies with considerable regularity. For the month of May\nalone, a total personnel cutback of 23,500 was declared by all Federal agencies com-\nbines.\nOf course, \"personnel cutback\" is a high-sounding way of saying people are\nlosing their jobs. Despite the fact that payroll reductions may bring about economy\nin the Federal government, it's still bad news for those individuals who have been\neffected by the lay-offs.\nPerhaps some of you have been wondering as I have lately about how these\ndrastic personnel reductions are going to effect our employment picture. I did a\nlittle research on my own this week and obtained some figures from the Labor de-\npartment which proved very enlightening.\nLabor Department statistics show that employment figures for June of 1953\nexceed those of the same period last year by over one million. In other words, over\none million more people in the U.S. now hold jobs than were working last year. In\nthe same period last year over one million persons were unemployed, The unemployment\nfigure for 1953 is about 200,000 less than 1952.\nIn other words, the over-all employment picture is, in effect, much im-\nproved over last year. Furthermore, figures demonstrate quite clearly that job-seekers\nare being absorbed into industry and business at a far more rapid rate than has been\nseen for quite some time.\nVisitors: Mr and Mrs. M.H. DeVivorne and Anne of Grand Rapids.\nMrs. D.W. Burton and Jeanne of Sparta.\nFOR RELEASE July 30\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nWhat's it like to live behind the Communist Iron Curtain and what drives a\nyoung man to seek refuge from dictator's opression by escaping to the free world?\nThe answer to this question was given to me by Lt. Franciszek Jarecki, the\n22-year old Polish flier who in March 1953 dramatically delivered a Russian MIG into\nthe hands of the Allies. The people of Poland submit to the dictates of the Russians\nonly because there's not much else to do when someone issues orders at gun point and\none has no weapons to defend onesself. Lt. Jarecki continued to say that the Polish\npeople did avail themselves of two very effective weapons at their disposal: sabotage\nand small but frequent revolts. Lt. Jarecki cited the example of a Russian munitions\nfactory which had been moved no less than three times in an effort to thwart saboteurs\nwho in the past had been especially efficient. The factory now stands, the Lieutenant\ntells us, in a largely wooded area and bears a sign \"Kitchen Utensils.\"\nDuring the warm-up preceding the filming of my regular television broadcast,\nmy guest, Lt. Jarecki who speaks only Polish, engaged in a lively discussion with\nCongressman O'Konski of Wisconsin and my Administrative Assistant, John Milanowski.\nI was forced to rely upon them to act as my interpreters. Though the language barrier\nprovided some difficulty we all managed to carry on our discussion with considerable\nease.\nNaturally, in the off-the-record discussion we were most interested in de-\ntails of Lt. Jarecki's experiences which were neglected in most newspaper stories. It\nwas almost impossible to believe that this youthful, handsome boy (for he hardly\nseemed more than that) held the controls of a Russian MIG. And yet, in all modesty,\nhe told us that under the Russian system, jet fliers are the \"cream of the crop\", so\nto speak. Out of 8,000 boys in his age range, 150 were chosen to enter the jet train-\ning school, and Lt. Jarecki led his class.\nHe had been acclaimed by Red officials as a \"model\" young communist, and\nyet all the time in the back of his mind was his plan to escape from the regime of\nlies under the communist thumb. He was taken on speaking tours throughout Poland to\nencourage the youth of the country to be like himself, a \"model\" communist. His\nclosing remarks always were: \"Follow my example. Do exactly as I do.\" Now Lt. Jar-\necki hopes the young Poles under communist domination will remember his advice.\nFORD LIBRARY\npage two\nWhen questioned about his future, the young hero says that he has been so\noverwhelmed by America that he can hardly think what he should do. He does want to go\nto school more than anything else, but wants to have time to think over his course of\nstudies first.\nAt present Lt. Jarecki can think of nothingbeter than a well deserved rest after\nhis ordeal and the long list of speaking engagements which have taken him all over the\nUnited States. After a little relaxation he looks forward to continuing his efforts to\nfree Poland from the communism which holds it captive. He plans to exert every effort\nto help America in its fight against the successors of Joe Stalin.\nOne of my biggest regrets these days is that I cannot get back to the District\nto attend same of the functions to which many of you have so graciously invited me. The\nclosing days of a session of Congress leave no room for quick trips home. During this\nperiod there is a vast number of roll calls and important committee meetings on vital\nappropriation bills which demand our undivided attention.\nIt is very difficult to say \"no\" to every single invitation which comes my\nway from back home, especially when so many of them include an opportunity to give you\na first hand outline of what your Congress has accomplished this year. But until ad-\njournment (which we still expect to be around July 31) \"no\" must be the very apologetic\nbut firm answer.\nAfter adjournment and following a committee investigating trip I plan to be\nback in Western Michigan and at that time hope to make good many of the rain checks\nI've accumulated in the past weeks.\nThanks for being so patient.\n********\nVisitors: Mrs. D. W. Burton of Sparta; Harold Fox and S. J. Hilarides of\nGrand Rapids.\nFOR RELEASE AUGUST 6\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nHeading into the home stretch toward final adjournment for the first session\nof the 83rd Congress meant long hours on the floor of the House and longer hours in\nconference with Senat Appropriation Committee members.\nIn the heat of last minute legislation, the House approved two major\nPresidential reorganization plans. Plan No. 7, which received the green light from\nHouse members in the last few days, establishes a single Foreign Operations Admini-\nstration to supplant the Mutual Security Administration and related agencies.\nPlan No. 8 calls for a unified United States Information Agency which\nwould replace the Voice of America and various other agencies which are engaged in\nvirtually the same type of work.\nThese reorganization plans are, obviously, in accord with the Hoover Com-\nmission recommendations, and also with the economy program which this Congress has\nendeavored to carry out. Both these plans became effective on August 1.\nAction on postal rate increase has been postponed indefinitely by the\nextremely heavy schedule of legislation before the House this week. Chairman Rees\nannounced that it had been impossible to continue and complete hearings this week\nbecause of the frequent calls for members to be present on the floor while vital\nlegislation is being completed before adjournment.\nUp to this time the committee has heard testimony from approximately 60\nwitnesses who had various objections to the bill. The last to be heard prior to\ncessation of hearings were Post Office officials who believe new rate increases are\nnecessary to erase an annual deficit estimated by former President Truman to be\napproximately $746 million. Postmaster General Summerfield, by economy and efficiency,\nhas reduced this deficit by $431 million. This shows what good management can do for\na government agency.\nChairman Rees expressed the opinion that the hearings had been full and\ncomplete in every detail and would provide more than adequate information and facts\nfor the committee to begin immediately to write up new Postal legislation as soon as\nthe next session begins.\n#\nGERALD FORD LIBRART\nPAGE 2\nHouse and Senate conferees this past week put their heads together on the\nappropriation bill involving slightly over $34 billion for the Army, Navy and Air\nForce. In any measure in which this much money is at stake, legitimate differences\nof opinion are bound to exist between the two Houses of Congress.\nAs might be expected, there was considerable discussion over details in\namounts and wording in the two defense bills. However, a concentrated effort on the\npart of all the House and Senate participants brought forth the final version of the\nbill in relatively short order.\nThe completed draft came well under the amounts specified in both the House\nand Senate bills. The result is perhaps unique but certainly understandable.\nConferees agreed on a bill which was $125 million under the House appropriation and\n$65 million less than the Senate version of the defense appropriation bill.\nBy special invitation I was permitted to attend the signing of the bill by\nPresident Eisenhower this past week for the relief of Franciszek Jarecki whose experi-\nences I discussed at some length in last week's column.\nThis was a very special private relief bill unlike most in that everyone is\nfamiliar with the name Jarecki, and with the heroic deed it immediately calls to mind.\nThe President's signature on this private bill means that Lt. Jarecki of the Polish\nArmy becomes private American citizen Jarecki, free to work, go to school and to show\nhis gratitude for his new found freedom. It must be a welcome relief to be liberated\nfrom the oppression of the Communist dictators. This young lad has vowed to help America\nhis new country, and her allies in every conceivable way to rid the world of the\nCommunist menace.\n* * *\nVisitors this week were Mr. J. Vern Jennings; Mrs. Hilda G. Smith, of\nGrand Rapids, and her daughter Carolyn, of Muskegon.\nFOR RELEASE AUGUST 13, 1953\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBY GERALD R. FORD, JR.\nBy the time this column reaches your favorite newspaper I will be well\non my way to the Far East. My three-week inspection trip will take me to\nArmy installations in Japan, Korea, Formosa and elsewhere in the Far East. My\ntwo companions will be Col. M. T. Tilghman and Gen. George Honnen, Army budget\nofficer. Part of the inspection trip will be in conjunction with an inspection\ntour of the Secretary of the Army. In order to keep you up to date I will\nreport to you regularly by means of this column, of my impressions and experiences\nthroughout my trip half way round the world.\nRecently, Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks announced the sale of the\ngovernment-owned Inland Waterways Corporation to a private operator.\nSince 1948, Secretary Weeks claimed, there had been five specific\nattempts to purchase the corporation, These attempts had been completely ignored\nprior to January 20, 1953 when the Eisenhower Administration took office. In\nless than three weeks after the new Secretary of Commerce took over this white\nelephant was up for sale. The record shows this government barge line was no\nbaby white elephant. Over the past fourteen years the Corporation netted a\nloss of $9,749,000 having made a profit during the period for only two of the\nfourteen years.\nAccording to agreements made by the new owner, uninterrupted service is\nguaranteed to shippers who use the facilities of Inland Waterway Corporation.\nSpecific terms of the contract include default provisions to insure proper\nservices to the Line's customers under the management of the new owner.\nGeneral feeling is that the government is well out of this business\nfor many good reasons. In the first place, it is not at all the proper function\nof the government to engage in commercial activities which private enterprise\nis better able to perform. Secondly, it is not the place of the government to\ncompete with private business unnecessarily. Thirdly and possibly the most\nforceful argument prompting the decision to sell the corporation, the operation\nGEORLD FORD LIBRAR\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nPage 2\nof this business was proving excessively costly to the U. S. Treasury. Its\nannual losses only added a greater burden to the Federal deficit. The sale of\nInland Waterways Corporation means another saving for all of us taxpayers and I,\nfor one, would call that good business!\nIn the orchids-for-the-ladies department\nThe Eisenhower Administration has 27 women filling top-ranking positions\nin our government. They have been given jobs dealing with everything from\ndiplomatic relations to civil defense and parole problems. The women who have\nheld policy-making jobs since the inauguration of the new administration, have\nhad a great part in the achievements of the Eisenhower Administration up to\nthis time. We men are not going to be a bit backward about giving credit where\ncredit is due and certainly they deserve our heartiest congratulations for the\nway they have accepted their responsibilities with enthusiasm and exhibited ini-\ntiative and competence of which any man could be very proud.\nMrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, Secretary of the Department of Health, Education\nand Welfare, for one, has gone at her job with an efficiency which has both\namazed and pleased everyone.\nClare Booth Luce has won the hearts of the Italian people as our Am-\nbassador to Italy.\nMrs. Frances Willis, Ambassador to Switzerland, Mrs. Ivy Baker Priest,\nU. S. Treasurer, Mrs. Frances Bolton, Congresswoman and delegate to the U. N. to\nname only a few, have made it very clear that the ladies take no back seat when\nit comes to handling the vital matters of government. President Eisenhower pro--\nmised to give the ladies their opportunity to help and the records indicate the\n\"gals\" are assuming their responsibilities.\nVISITORS\nMr. J. Vern Jennings, Dr. G. H. Door, Mrs. G. H. Door and children,\nSandra, Linda and Terrence Door.\nFord\nORIGINAL\nFOR RELEASE August 27, 1953\nEditor - This Washington Review longer than usual.\nGERALD\nDeletions may be made if necessary.\nFORD\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nLIBRARY\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(As Jerry told you in last week's column, he is in the Far East on a\nthree weeks official inspection trip of military and foreign aid installations.\nJerry is writing a series of letters to his wife, Betty, and their children,\nMike and Jack. To keep you informed of his experiences, these letters are being\nused to make up the column for the next two weeks.)\nMonday, August 3rd.\n12:30 PM Washington time.\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack,\nRight at the moment we are flying at 16,000 feet half way between McChord\nField (Seattle-Takoma) and Shemya Airfield in the Aleutians. A very smooth,\nuneventful plane ride with nothing but clouds below. We have not seen land or\nwater since leaving the U.S.A. This is our second leg - about 2458 nautical\nmiles - and we expect to make it in approximately eleven hours. After a stopover\nof 1 1/2 hours in Shemya, we will be on our way to Seoul, Korea, a hop of 2346\nnautical miles.\nThe trip from Washington to McChord Field was comfortable and without\nincident. As you know Secretary of State Dulles' plane took off about 15 minutes\nahead of ours, but we, with a lesser load (fewer \"brass\") overtook them and\nlanded 5 or 10 minutes prior to their arrival.\nWe were met at the field by General Bennet, of the Air Force, and he had\ndinner arranged for the party while the planes were refueled. Our plane had\ndeveloped slight mechanical difficulties on the way west and this had to be fixed\nup before departure on the second lap.\nGeneral Honnen, the Army Finance Officer, and I, instead of waiting\naround at McChord Field, drove over to Fort Lewis, an Army installation, for a\nquick look at this base.\nUpon our return to the planes we found therw was some further delay so\njoined Sec. Dulles and his group, including Mr. Walter Robertson who had recently\nspent weeks in top level negotiations with President Syngman Rhee. It was most\ninteresting to spend this hour or so with these two gentlemen who are on one of\nthe most vital missions in the history of American diplomacy.\nPage 2\nSec. Dulles' plane took off for Shemya Air Force base ahead of us because\nsome further mechanical difficulties developed on our Constellation. Finally we\nshoved off and I was about to retire in one of the bunks when our pilot came back\nfrom the cockpit to report 4. new mechanical difficulties - this time instrument\ntrouble - and he recommended immediate return to McChord Field. This made sense\nfor I was not anxious to fly approximately 2500 miles in the foul Alaskan weather\nwith some of our flight instruments on the blink.\nThe return trip to McChord Field was uneventful, but the repair work held\nus up about 5 hours. Finally about 2 A.M. Monday morning, those in our plane\ncrawled in the ship's bunks. However, just before doing so we had word that\nSec. Dulles' plane had developed trouble in one engine, about three hours out on\nthe 11 hour hop to Shemya, and that they also were returning to McChord Field.\nI don't know when they arrived back for I was sound asleep after a long day, but\napparently their plane was quickly repaired for the two planes took off again\naround 7 A.M. Monday, Washington time.\nThe long hops have given me a wonderful opportunity to pour over the\ndetailed reports furnished me by the Army and the State Department on Korea,\nFormosa, the Philippines and French Indo-China. This background material, on the\npolitical, military and economic status of each area, will be most helpful when\nthe actual inspections are made by General Honnen and myself.\nI will be writing again in a day or SO. Until then,\nAll my love,\nGERALD\nFORD\nJerry\n**** ***\nLIBRARY\nThursday, August 6th\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nWritten in flight from\nSeoul, Korea, to Saigon,\nIndo-China.\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack,\nOperation Big Switch, the Prisoner of War exchange, will interest you most,\nbut my last letter left off at Shemya Airforce Base in the Aleutians, so first\nsome travel details before the story on the historic return of our American GIs\nfrom the Communist prison camps.\nThe long flight to Korea from Alaska was without incident except for strong\nheadwinds that were part of a typhoon off the southern tip of the peninsula.\nSec. Dulles' plane arrived just ahead of ours at the Seoul airport, at about mid-\nnight, but despite the lateness of the hour, the South Koreans really put on a\nshow for the Secretary of State. The Korean Army, Navy, Marine and Airforce\nGERALD\nFORD\nPage 3\nLIBRARY\nhonor guards were lined up on the field in their finest splendor to pay welcome to\nSec. Dulles and party. After the ceremonies, General Max Taylor, head of the 8th\nArmy, whisked us off to our quarters in a typical Oriental residence, called the\nGuest House. The accommodations were comfortable, but the building and facilities\nwere never built for six foot tall Americans. Until I learned the hard way, I\nrepeatedly bumped the top of my head moving from one room to another. Shaving in\na bowl built for shorter Koreans is a back cramping operation.\nEveryone was up bright and early the next morning in order to attend the\nregular 8th Army briefing before departure for Munsan where operation Big Switch\ntook place. General Taylor, Sec. of the Army Stevens and I flew from Seoul to\nMunsan, a 20 minute hop, and arrived there in time to get a full briefing on just\nhow the United Nations prisoners of war would be processed at Freedom Village.\nA huge building, about 100' X 200', had been built with additional auxil-\niary structures alongside. Big Switch was excellently organized with all the\nemphasis on the care and treatment of our returning PCWs.\nThe POWs were actually turned over by the Communists to our forces at\nPanmunjom, a road distance of 12 miles from Freedom Village at Munsan. The medical\ncases were flown by helicopter and arrived 30 or 40 minutes ahead of the others\nwho came by field ambulances. The first were all stretcher cases, but despite\ntheir disabilities you could see the joy in their hearts at being freed from the\nCommunist prison camps.\nEach returnee received a quick medical check-up for any emergency, later\nfollowed by a thorough examination. In the first group the doctors detected some\ntuberculosis cases resulting from poor care and malnutrition. Each boy stopped\nat the Chaplains area where Protestant, Catholic and Jewish chaplains were avail-\nable, and out of the first three groups of Americans, every one sought religious\ncontact. One of the returned prisoners told me how they held their own church\nservices regularly during their imprisonment and how helpful this was while they\nspent their weary days in North Korea. The Communists constantly disparaged the\nchurch services held by our boys.\nEach American POW could be interviewed by war correspondents at Freedom\nVillage without censorship if he desired the opportunity. The first interviewed\nby the press, radio and TV was a young lad from Detroit, and he recounted vividly\nhis tragic experiences of the past 2 1/2 years.\nThe Red Cross had a mighty fine set-up at Freedom Village where the POWs\ncould relax after their medical exams, their chaplain contacts, their showers,\nnew GI clothing issue, and some good American chow. Red Cross workers, both men\nGLARED\nFORD\nPage 4\nLIBRARY\nand women, were able to do this essential job because all of us have contributed\nour dollars to our local chapters each year.\nLater General Taylor took Sec. of the Army Stevens and me on a helicopter\ntour of the surrounding area where we saw from the air Panmunjom in the distance,\na train load of Communist POWs, and the prisoner compound for those North Korean\nand Chinese the United Nations were returning. By this time Sec. Dulles had com-\npleted his first vital conference with President Rhee. We joined him for lunch at\nthe UN negotiators' camp, and I had the opportunity to talk extensively with\nMajor General Bryant, the new top UN negotiator on problems involving the truce,\nAfter lunch the 8th Army commander took the group on a helicopter tour\nof a part of the battlefront to see what was going on during the first few days of\nno hostilities. We stopped in for a briefing at a Marine division headquarters,\nthen over some mountainous Korean geography to a British, Canadian, Australian\ndivision area. The next stop took us to a South Korea division headquarters, and\nthat was an inspiring sight. The ROKs had a small review with their band playing\nthe American and Korean national anthems. We met the young South Korean general,\nunder 35 years of age, who gave us a briefing on what his soldiers were doing, and\nhad done, in the fight against the Communists. An American officer told me this\nSouth Korean division had fought the Reds to a standstill on every occasion. The\nfinal stop was a call on the 7th American division, a top fighting outfit that had\nattached to it battalions of Columbians and Ethiopians. At the review for Sec.\nDulles, the GI band played the national anthems of each country. Reports indicate\nthese smaller UN forces, despite their limited numbers, in comparison to our own\nand the South Koreans, have helped in thwarting the Communist invasion from above\nthe 38th parallel. The American forces and the South Koreans have born the brunt\nin this struggle against the Reds. The ROKs have been wonderful allies, and America\nwants and needs that relationship to continue in the future, which is the reason for\nSec. of State Dulles' personal trip to Korea.\nAfter a long day we had a quiet dinner in Seoul, followed by a two hour\nArmy budget session with the fiscal expert from General Mark Clark's staff in Tckyo.\nThe truce requires considerable replanning in the expenditure of Army funds in the\nPacific area, and the Congress, and particularly my committee, is interested in how\nthis will be accomplished with the maximum economy and efficiency.\nPage 5\nThursday morning we shoved off for Saigon, Indo-China, in Secretary of\nthe Army Stevens' plane. Its a big hop, about 2540 miles. With the weather clear\nand the plane at 16,000 feet, we could see parts of Okinawa, Formosa, and the\nLuzon island of the Philippines. Arrival at Saigon in late afternoon was as\nplanned, with the heat and humidity reminding me of Washington, D.C., at its best\nor worst.\nMust sign off hurriedly if I'm to get this letter in the mail for delivery\nto you half way around the world.\nLove to you all,\nJerry.\nGERALD\nFORD\nLIBRARY\nFOR RELEASE September 3, 1953\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(As we told you in last week's columh, Congressman Ford is writing a series\nof letters to his wife, Betty, and their children, Mike and Jack, on his trip to the\nFar East. Here is another letter from Jerry.)\nWritten enroute to Taipei,\nFormosa, August 9th.\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack,\nOur inspection group spent 2 1/2 days in Saigon, Indo-China, practically\nhalf way around the world from Washington, D.C. Some statistician has figured out\nthe White House is 65 miles closer to Saigon if you travel via Europe rather than\nover the Pacific. Its a gross understatement to say, either way its a long trek\nhomeward.\nAn old friend from Grand Rapids, Bud Vestal, works for Uncle Sam in\nSaigon, in the U. S. Information Agency. Unfortunately I didn't have too much time\nin the crowded schedule to see him and his family, but we did get together for a\nshort session where I brought him up-to-date on news from home, and he reciprocated\nwith his personal comments on the dangerous communist activities in Indo-China.\nSaigon is a relatively modern city in appearance, certainly far different\nfrom war torn Seoul in South Korea. Its a city built up by the French as part of\ntheir colonial empire, and their civilian and military installations over the years\nhave cost them many millions of dollars. These investments, and the potential wealth\nin natural resources, has probably caused their reluctance to pull out and let the\nVietnamese, the Cambodians, and the Laotions set up their own governments.\nSince 1946 the Communists have had their eye on Indo-China, and have waged\nvicious war on the French and local forces in an effort to capture this key area in\nthe very heart of the Far East. It has been a bloody and expensive struggle with\nno decisive victory for either side. In the last several years the United States\nhas supplied the anti-communist forces with military equipment. More help of this\nsort is contemplated in the months ahead so the communist threat can be turned back.\nDuring our visit we had full and complete briefings on the military picture\nand made careful checks on the past and planned \"end-use\" of the military supplies\nbeing furnished by Uncle Sam. The American Ambassador filled us in on the political\npicture which is complicated by the varied problems resulting from the desire of\nthe local people to achieve full independence from the French at the earliest possi-\nble date. Fortunately, and wisely, the French, on July 3rd, agreed to independence\nfor the three associated states forming Indo-China. The sooner this autonomy is\nPage 2\nachieved, bearing in mind the manifold administrative difficulties, the greater likli-\nhood of victory for the anti-communist forces.\nThe Indo-China war has had a heavy toll on the civilian population as\nevidenced by the thousands of rural families displaced from their ancestral homes\nby the ruthless tactics of the communist soldiers. These refugees with no means of\nlivlihood, having fled from the communist held areas, have been helped by the\ncombined efforts of the local government and the American technical assistance experts.\nFifteen miles from Saigon I saw a newly built thatched-roof village, surrounded by\nmany acres of rice paddies, where approximately 600 native families (4000 persons)\nwere getting a new start in life. This rehabilitation program is bound to be ef-\nfective. The communists in Indo-China have promised the natives land and \"model vil-\nlages\". In reality the Reds have driven the families from their homes. The local\ngovernments with our help have provided homes, a means of livlihood, medical care\nand basic educational opportunities for these refugees. With only two classrooms\nand two teachers, it is unfortunately impossible to teach all of the village's 1200\nchildren, so one child is chosen from each family to be educated until more facili-\nties can be made available. Certainly in this situation the false promises of the\ncommunists have been exposed to the fullest, while the anti-communists with 21 such\nvillages have lived up to the concept that the \"free world\" does help the needy.\nThe two and a half days passed quickly because of the heavy schedule.\nAlthough local custom dictates a three hour lunch period (because of the noon-day\ntropical heat), our inspection group worked right through the siesta period each day.\nIt was the only way to see and hear all of the facts. Some day a more leisurely trip\nto this area and its fine people would be a wonderful and pleasant experience.\nThe trip homeward has started, although it will be a week or more before\nwe land at the Nation's Capital. The first leg from Saigon to Hong Kong was unevent-\nful, but certainly this vast and beautiful city off the south China coast is a sight\nto behold. From Hong Kong to Taipei, in Formosa, was the second hop, and I will\nwrite later of what we saw on this controversial island where Chaing Kai-Shek and\nthe Chinese Nationals await the day to return to the mainland.\nLove to you all. It won't be too long before we'll be back.\nJerry\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nFOR RELEASE September 3, 1953\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(As we told you in last week's columh, Congressman Ford is writing a series\nof letters to his wife, Betty, and their children, Mike and Jack, on his trip to the\nFar East. Here is another letter from Jerry.)\nWritten enroute to Taipei,\nFormosa, August 9th.\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack,\nOur inspection group spent 2 1/2 days in Saigon, Indo-China, practically\nhalf way around the world from Washington, D.C. Some statistician has figured out\nthe White House is 65 miles closer to Saigon if you travel via Europe rather than\nover the Pacific. Its a gross understatement to say, either way its a long trek\nhomeward.\nAn old friend from Grand Rapids, Bud Vestal, works for Uncle Sam in\nSaigon, in the U. S. Information Agency. Unfortunately I didn't have too much time\nin the crowded schedule to see him and his family, but we did get together for a\nshort session where I brought him up-to-date on news from home, and he reciprocated\nwith his personal comments on the dangerous communist activities in Indo-China.\nSaigon is a relatively modern city in appearance, certainly far different\nfrom war torn Seoul in South Korea. Its a city built up by the French as part of\ntheir colonial empire, and their civilian and military installations over the years\nhave cost them many millions of dollars. These investments, and the potential wealth\nin natural resources, has probably caused their reluctance to pull out and let the\nVietnamese, the Cambodians, and the Lactions set up their own governments.\nSince 1946 the Communists have had their eye on Indo-China, and have waged\nvicious war on the French and local forces in an effort to capture this key area in\nthe very heart of the Far East. It has been a bloody and expensive struggle with\nno decisive victory for either side. In the last several years the United States\nhas supplied the anti-communist forces with military equipment. More help of this\nsort is contemplated in the months ahead so the communist threat can be turned back.\nDuring our visit we had full and complete briefings on the military picture\nand made careful checks on the past and planned \"end-use\" of the military supplies\nbeing furnished by Uncle Sam. The American Ambassador filled us in on the political\npicture which is complicated by the varied problems resulting from the desire of\nthe local people to achieve full independence from the French at the earliest possi-\nble date. Fortunately, and wisely, the French, on July 3rd, agreed to independence\nfor the three associated states forming Indo-China. The sconer this autonomy is\nPage 2\nachieved, bearing in mind the manifold administrative difficulties, the greater likli-\nhood of victory for the anti-communist forces.\nThe Indo-China war has had a heavy toll on the civilian population as\nevidenced by the thousands of rural families displaced from their ancestral homes\nby the ruthless tactics of the communist soldiers. These refugees with no means of\nlivlihood, having fled from the communist held areas, have been helped by the\ncombined efforts of the local government and the American technical assistance experts.\nFifteen miles from Saigon I saw a newly built thatched-roof village, surrounded by\nmany acres of rice paddies, where approximately 600 native families (4000 persons)\nwere getting a new start in life. This rehabilitation program is bound to be ef-\nfective. The communists in Indo-China have promised the natives land and \"model vil-\nlages\". In reality the Reds have driven the families from their homes. The local\ngovernments with our help have provided homes, a means of livlihood, medical care\nand basic educational opportunities for these refugees. With only two classrooms\nand two teachers, it is unfortunately impossible to teach all of the village's 1200\nchildren, so one child is chosen from each family to be educated until more facili-\nties can be made available. Certainly in this situation the false promises of the\ncommunists have been exposed to the fullest, while the anti-communists with 21 such\nvillages have lived up to the concept that the \"free world\" does help the needy.\nThe two and a half days passed quickly because of the heavy schedule.\nAlthough local custom dictates a three hour lunch period (because of the noon-day\ntropical heat), our inspection group worked right through the siesta period each day.\nIt was the only way to see and hear all of the facts. Some day a more leisurely trip\nto this area and its fine people would be a wonderful and pleasant experience.\nThe trip homeward has started, although it will be a week or more before\nwe land at the Nation's Capital. The first leg from Saigon to Hong Kong was unevent-\nful, but certainly this vast and beautiful city off the south China coast is a sight\nto behold. From Hong Kong to Taipei, in Formosa, was the second hop, and I will\nwrite later of what we saw on this controversial island where Chaing Kai-Shek and\nthe Chinese Nationals await the day to return to the mainland.\nLove to you all. It won't be too long before we'll be back.\nJerry\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nFOR RELEASE September 3, 1953\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(Here's another in Congressman Ford's series written to his wife,\nBetty, and sons, Mike and Jack.)\n(Written Taigu, Korea after\ndinner Wednesday, August 12th.)\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack:\nThere has been several days' delay since the last missive but you will\nunderstand I hope, when you see the schedule of the past 72 hours. The Army\nofficials have done a good job in compressing many points of interest into the\nlimited time available, although the net result is no time for correspondence\nand on-the-spot correlation and evaluation of data collected.\nThe late afternoon arrival in Formosa found our party met at the Taipei\nAirport by Ambassador Rankin, General Chase, American military advisor to the\nNationalist forces, and numerous other high-ranking U. S. and Chinese officials.\nI was informed that Chang Kai Shek, President of Free China, and Madame Chang\nwere expecting us for tea. Their residence, 45 minutes up the mountainside\ntook us over a winding road which was in surprisingly good shape.\nOur transportation pulled into the President's home where we were met\nby one of his top aides who escorted us into the living room that was furnished\nin most appropriate Chinese style. Chang Kai Shek sat in the far corner but\n38 we entered he arose, shook hands and through an interpretor, expressed a\ncordial welcome. We chatted for a few minutes, always by interpretor, and then\nMadame Chang made her appearance. I ended up sitting between the President\nand Madame Chang--she, by the way, speaks English fluently.\nIt was an exceedingly interesting hour with our hosts serving iced tea\nwith mint leaves, a Chinese food concoction, and a large dish of American ice\ncream. As we left, one of President Chang's advisors presented me with two\nboxes of his special brands of red and green tea plus the Ford seal in Chinese.\nIf my letters are signed in the future in Chinese, it will be through the\ncourtesy of the anti-communist leader of the Chinese people.\nThe American Ambassador lives next door and he had a dinner set up where\nour inspecting group could get acquainted and discuss controversial problems\nwith the U. S. military and civilian officials who are working with the Chinese\nFORD\nin Formosa. It was a pleasant but productive end to a long day. From Saigon\nto Hong Kong to Taipei in Formosa is a good many miles.\nLIBRARY\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nPAGE 2\nOur quarters for the night were in the Formosan palace, built for and\nused by the Japanese Crown Prince when the island was controlled by his people.\nIt's a tremendously large place with beautiful Japanese gardens. My room for\nthe night plus all of the adjoining rooms and balconies, was the area in the\npalace actually occupied by the Crown Prince.\nThe next morning a full briefing by the American Ambassador on the\npolitical aspects of the complicated Chinese problem followed by further con-\nferences with our U. S. military mission. General Chase, who has been working\nwith the Chang Kai Shek forces, has been most helpful in aiding the rehabili-\ntation of the Chinese Nationalist forces since they left the mainland of China\nseveral years ago. Chang's army, navy and airforce are certainly a forte\nto be reckoned with. Obviously they have as their prime motivation a strong\ndesire to return to the Chinese mainland.\nThe next leg of the trip from Formosa to Okinawa was just long enough\nfor us to have a Chinese-prepared box lunch on the plane. American G.I.s who\nfought on Okinawa in 1945 would not recognize the place today. Eight years\nago after our Marines and Army forces wrested this tiny island from the Japanese\nit was laid waste. Now it's a powerful military bastion and a vital outpost\nin the American defense set-up. We spent a fruitful 6 hours in briefings and\ninspections. I came away with the distinct feeling that the U. S. needs this\npower-packed island and the surrounding territories for our own security.\nWe boarded our plane in time for a late evening meal enroute to Korea.\nThe trip from Ckinawa to Seoul, a distance of 900 miles, consumed only 3\nhours and 45 minutes. It was midnight before we wearily crawled into bed.\nJust before retiring I was handed the itinerary for the next day, which\nincluded a full schedule of visits to numerous Army units from one end of\nthe Korean front line to the other. My next letter will give you the details\non this most interesting part of the trip.\nThe trip homeward will be somewhat slower for there are some problems\nthat must be carefully examined on the civilian relief and rehabilitation\nprogram for South Korea. Nevertheless, I'll be in Washington as scheduled.\nLove to you all,\nJerry\nFORD\nLIBRARY\nFOR RELEASE September 10, 1953\nORIGINAL RETIRED FOR PRESERVATION\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(This is the fourth in a series of letters Congressman Ford has written from\nGERALD\nthe Far East to his wife, Betty, and their sons, Mike and Jack.)\nFORD\n(In flight Friday night, August 14th,\nPusan, Korea to Tokyo)\nLIBRARY\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack:\nFor almost two days I covered the Korean front by every conceivable means\nof transportation including jeeps, trucks, helicopters, light planes and\n\"shanks-horses.\" The inspections covered the heart of the Army, the infantry,\nthe heavy and light artillery units, the power-packed armoured units, and the\nvital supply and technical groups without which no Army could operate effectively,\nWe started our trip at the eastern shore of the Korean peninsula and\nworked our way westward along the old 155-mile battle line. There were detailed\nbriefings at several corps headquarters to get the overall picture which usually\nended up with an on-the-spot visit to a platoon right at the edge of the new\ndemilitarized line. From the air in a helicopter we scanned the demilitarized\nzone where one could see our troops recovering and retrieving battle-used\nequipment. At the same time we could see our GIs building new fortifications\njust south of the old battle line below the newly demilitarized area. an the\nground via jeep I viewed first hand the precautions our military officials are\ntaking to make certain that our troops abide 100 per cent by the truce terms.\nThe various U. S. Army Divisions, the Marines and other U. N. units\nmaking up the 8th Army in Korea have an intense but healthy rivalry with one\nanother. All are rightfully proud of their past records and each seeks to\noutdo the other in their future accomplishments. At every stop in our inspection\ntrip the individual unit would put forth its best effort. Frankly, our citizens\nat home should be mighty proud of the American fighting forces. They have done\nan excellent job in the past under terrific difficulties and have a deep appre-\nciation of their serious responsibilities in the future. From my personal con-\nversations with a number of GIs who have been in Korea for some months, I\ngather the impression they are mighty glad the shooting is over but likewise\nthey have no illusions about the need and necessity for full American military\npreparedness in the global struggle against Communism. Their morale appears high\nand in addition the Army officials are doing everything possible to retain this\nessential spirit with stepped-up training programs, the maximum possible re-\ncreation and even better food and housing.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nAt several Army Division headquarters the program included an Honor Guard\nand/Review. As an old Navy hand, at first I was more than a little clumsy\nin understanding what one should do in receiving the honors and reviewing the\ntroops, but after the second experience I guess my performance was reasonably up\nto Army standards.\nPractically every unit was thoughtful enough to give me a momento of my\nvisit. Consequently, my luggage is filled with Division histories, honorary\nunit membership cards and various gadgets, fashioned and presented by the men\nthemselves. Each presentation by one of these top-notch Army groups left an\nindelible mark which will grow in significance as the years pass by.\nMichigan has certainly supplied a full share of the boys in the Army in\nKorea. Without fail at every stop the Commanding Officer would have the Michigan\nGIs assembled so I could have an informal \"bull session\" with them. It was\nheartwarming and enlightening for me to see these boys and talk with them. The\nGIs from Kent and Ottawa counties had countless questions about the old home\ntown. I will try to call their parents and wives upon my return.\nAfter two days in Seoul we flew to Taegu, part way down the Korean peninsula,\nfor a briefing on what the numerous Army outfits are doing to back up the\nfront line forces. Without proper supporting units battles can't be won.\nFollowing 17 hours at Taegu the inspection group hopped via plane to\nKwangu, in the southwest corner of Korea, for a good look at the training schools\nfor the Republic of Korea Army. The Chief of Staff of the Korean Army was my\nhost at a military review that rivaled any I have ever seen. One must see to\nappreciate this superb training program sponsored and guided by our Army officials.\nHowever, without the full cooperation of the South Koreans such a program could\nnot be successful for it is no easy task to take a man from a rice paddy and\nmake him an efficient soldier in a relatively short period of time. General\nPaik, his staff and the Korean trainees have my highest respect and admiration.\nThey are not only top-notch soldiers, they are solidly anti-communist.\nThe last leg of the South Korean trip involved briefings and inspections\nin the Pusan area where thousands of tons of our supplies entered the war\ntheatre. The port of Pusan despite the fabulously heavy burden of troop and\nequipment shipments somehow kept everything moving to the GIs to the north.\nGERALD\nR.FORD\nLIBRARY\nm\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 3\nre departing for Tokyo we inspected one of the prisoner-of-war camps\nwhere some of the anti-communist North Koreans and Chinese are being temporarily\nheld prior to being turned over to the Indians under the truce agreement. A\nsmall number of \"dyed-in-the-wool\" red prisoners were still in the camp and\nalthough at the time they appeared very docile behind the heavy wire their past\nrecords indicated them to beamong the most vicious and ardent Communists.\nWe were escorted all about the P. W. compound including a visit through\nthe hospital which has been provided for those needing medical and surgical care.\nI talked with the American doctors who have cared for the prisoners day after day.\nRegardless of what the Communists may contend, the U. S. has definitely lived up\nto and undoubtedly exceeded the standards set by the Geneva agreement on the\ncare and treatment of PWs. The Communists may eventually howl and scream about\ninadequate conditions in our P. W. camps, but from my observations any such\nclaims would be entirely false.\nThe trip throughout Korea has been a highlight of the inspection tour.\nCne should stay even longer but time will not permit.\nLove to you all,\nJerry\nFOR RELEASE September 17, 1953\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\n(This is the fifth letter in a series written by Congresaman Ford\nfrom the Far East to his wife, Betty, and sons, Mike and Jack.)\n(Written Tuesday, August 18th\nenroute Tokyo to Wake Island)\nDearest Betty, Mike and Jack:\nThe four days in Japan were as filled with activity as all the others\non the trip. This was my initial landing in Japan, although during World War II\nthe aircraft carrier on which I served in the Pacific came relatively clese to\nthe shore on several occasions. It is interesting to compare the impressions one\nheld in the period 1941 through 1945 with those of 1953.\nThe first morning in Tokyo included a full briefing by the top man in\nthe Air Force, General Weyland, who during General Mark Clark's absence has been\nacting boss of all Army, Navy and Air Force operations in the Far East. Although\nthe ground forces have borne the brunt of the fighting in Korea, both in men and\nequipment, the Air Force has done a most essential job and done it well. Without\ncontrol of the air the GIs on the ground would have found their chores much more\ndifficult. It was reassuring to find that our Air Force could and did work se\neffectively with the ground forces and also to learn that U. S. Marine are wings\nand other U. N. air units could operate under the overall command of our Air Foree.\nThis record is evidence of what can be done under wartime operational conditions.\nFrom this initial briefing our group was subjected to another but this\ntime from the various officials in the Far East Command which includes Japan,\nKorea, and other areas in the vicinity. Subsequently General Harrisen, who did\nmost of the negotiating with the Chinese Communists on the Korean truce, was our\nhost at lunch and then for an hour or more afterwards expressed his private ob-\nservations and views on problems of the Far East. General Harrison, a West Point\nschoolmate of President Eisenhower, is one of the Army's foremost authorities\non the Bible and an ordained minister. It was a rare opportunity to talk with\nthis fine man who has so recently been locked in almost daily controversy with\nthe Communist representatives at Panmunjon.\nToday when one visits Tokyo or other parts of Japan it is negural to\nlook for evidence of our U. S. bembings in World War II. Those Americans who were\nin Japan right after the war apparently saw ample evidence of the distruction\nwrought by our B-29s but today one must actually search to find the remaining\nFORD\nLIBRARY\nPage 2\nscars. The Japanese apparently accepted the vast damage to their homeland as one\nof the inevitable consequences of their military defeat and then plunged into a\nrebuilding program with vigor and intelligence. Although there is some limited\nevidence of Communist infiltration in Japan the people generally are conservative\nand definitely oppose Russian domination of Asia and the Pacific ocean. This\nviewpoint coincides with U. S. foreign policy. Isn't it somewhat paradoxical that\n8 years after the end of World War II, the victor and vanquished in that mortal\nstruggle in the Pacific should now see \"eye-to-eye\" on many basic international\nquestions.\nThe four days in Japan included inspection trips to U. S. Army bases\nin Yokahama and the surrounding area. One of the most interesting installations is\nthe highly coordinated automotive rebuild shops where the Army takes the badly\ndamaged jeeps, the trucks, and all other motor vehicles from Korea and rebuilds\nthem into practically new equipment. It is amazing to see a really ruined jeep\nor 2 1/2-ton truck transformed into a highly serviceable vehicle by the use of\nJapanese plants and workers plus the supervision and \"know-how\" of American\nmilitary and civilian personnel. I had frequently heard of this U. S. Vehicle\nRebuild Program in Japan, which everyone said saved millions of dollars, but had\nno idea of its magnitude. Until I saw the production schedules and the actual\ndollar savings I was more than a little dubious.\nOne of the final inspections was a \"quick-look-see\" at the U. S. Naval\nBase south of Tokyo. At the termination of World War II when Japan's fleet was\nno longer in being our Navy took over this excellent spot for our ships and sailors.\nIt has been most useful during the Korean War. The U. S. Commanding Officer told\nus he has among the Japanese civilian laborers working on the base for Uncle Sam\na number of former admirals in the Japanese Navy. The fortunes of war in this\ninstance had strange results.\nAnother highlight of the Tokyo stopover was a conference and luncheon\nwith the American Ambassador. Our Ambassador to Japan, Mr. John Allison, has had\nwide experience in the Far East for many years and consequently was most helpful\nin filling in all political and diplomatic details on oriental matters. I should\nadd that Mrs. Allison, the Ambassador's wife, kindly devoted some time to our\njoint shopping tour. Without such aid I'm certain my shopping efforts would have\nbeen most unsuccessful.\nWe're on our way back. In fact this might arrive after we land in\nWashington.\nLove to you all,\nJerry\nFOR RELEASE September 24, 1953\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW\nBy Gerald R. Ford, Jr.\nThe final lap of the 25,000-mile Far East trip, covering a good share of the\nPacific Ocean, included a 24-hour stopover at Hawaii where previously I had spent\nsome time during World War II with the U. S. Navy. Pearl Harbor, Honolulu and the\nsurrounding area has changed considerably in the 8-year intervel. Some of the\nbattle scars of December 7, 1941 still exist as a vivid reminder that our nation\nmust never again lower its guard as an open invitation for a military attack by\na vicious aggressor, whether it be the Japanese or the Communists. If the Japanese\nhad known America would recover and fight with all its resources, the attack at\nPearl Harbor undoubtedly would not have been launched. Somewhat similar conditions\nprevail today in that if the \"Red Bosses\" in the Kremlin know that the United States\nis strong militarily and will resist expansion and aggression, the Communists will\nprobably hold their fire.\nIncidentally the recent trip to Hawaii has further convinced me that the Con-\ngress should approve statehood for the Territory of Hawaii. On the basis of the\nsound arguments presented I have voted for such legislation on two occasions in\nthe past. If the Senate takes favorable action in 1954, shortly thereafter we will\nhave 49 rather than 48 states in the Union.\nThe overnight plane trip from Honolulu to San Francisco brought the in-\nspection party to Sixth Army Headquarters at the Praesidio for a look at the Army's\ndefense plans for the west coast. Our western states are perhaps more vulnerable\nto attack because of their geographical location, and as a result special planning\nis essential in those vital and exposed areas. Our survey indicated that the Army,\nNavy and Air Force defense plans, including those against air attack, are proceeding\nsatisfactorily although there is probably no complete security in this mechanical age.\nOne of the most serious problems in the Sixth Army area and all other Army\ncommands is the Reserve Training Program. Frankly, the United States cannot main-\ntain a large standing Army comparable to what we had in World War II without the\nfederal treasury going \"broke.\" The alternative is an Army of reasonable size\nbolstered and supported by civilian reservists who can be called to active duty in\nany emergency. For some time the Army reserve training program has not been up to\nstrength. Why? At the moment no one seems to have the answer. Army officals\nhave tried several plans without success. Congress has enacted various laws to\nencourage reservists to participate in weekly drills and summer camp training, but\napparently this legislation is not the answer.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nMy briefing on the reserve program on the west coast has convinced me of\nthis one fact: The Army must put its best minds to work on finding a solution to\nthis important and perplexing problem, and the Congress in turn must cooperate to\nthe maximum in implementing any and all sound recommendations. Failure to find\na solution means a standing Army too expensive to support, or an Army inadequate\nin size to protect America from Communist aggression.\nSince my return to the United States I've had time to reflect a bit on a few\nof the broad questions in which all of us are interested. In the past few years\nthere has been an inordinate emphasis by our government on European problems, both\nmilitary and economic. The Pacific area with its vast manpower and natural resource\npotential has been comparatively neglected. From my recent experiences it is en-\ncouraging to see that Secretary of State Dulles is concentrating more on the Far\nEast, and not treating this vast, underdeveloped area as a \"second cousin.\"\nAnother point which vividly impressed me was the long range capabilities\nof airpower. When you can fly approximately 6600 miles in three rapid hops, the\ndistance from behind the Iron Curtain to our own shores seems mighty short. No\nlonger can America consider itself isolated and immune from enemy attack just\nbecause we live a few thousand miles from Europe or Asia. Soviet Russia does have\naircraft capabilities with which to launch an attack on parts of the United States.\nAs long as this danger is understood, appreciated, and action taken to mairtain\nand build our military defense, we have no reason to become hysterical.\nTwo other general comments before writing \"finis\" to the story of the trip.\nFirst, our foreign aid programs in the economic sphere in some of the Far Eastern\ncountries have been badly mismanaged, probably because those in charge were visio-\nnaries rather than administrators. This situation is being corrected under Mr.\nHarold Stassen, the new boss of the Mutual Security, or Foreign Operations Admini-\nstration. By better management the same results can be achieved at less cost.\nSecond, I am convinced the U. S. Army is now doing a good job in emphasizing the\nneed and necessity for the most economical use of equipment and supplies. Millions\nof dollars can be honestly sav ed by such a program, and at the same time strengthen\nrather than weaken our military potential.\nLIBRARY"
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