Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Harry S. Truman

Mes. F. D. ROOSEVELY - MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK 17. NEW YORK & November 20, 1945 Pear Mr. Presidents I hope you will forgive = writing you this letter, but 1, like a great many other citizens, have been deeply concerned about the situstion as it seems to be develop- ing both at home and abroad. 1 have a deep sense that we have an obligation, first of all, to solve our oun problems at home, because our failure must of necessity, take away hope from the other mations of the world the have so =uch more to contend with than we have. It seems to me, therefore, that we must get to work. The suggestion that was made the other day that a survey of our resources be made. on which we base not only our national econony, but what we lend to other mations, would seem to = sound, if the person making the investigation had sufficient standing to be accepted by management and labor as well. In situations of this kind, =y husband scese times turned to Mr. Bernard x. Baruch, because of his realth of and his standing with the industrialists 491 of the country. At the same time, I think that even Carey, the to get young believe the laber Detroit in leaders, his situation integrity. like started If up it by could giving be both Valter Reuther and James possible management and labor something so they would at least agree to ge to work until, let us say, next October on condition that Mr. Baruch was asked to gather a staff of experts, I feel he would consult with both sides as he always has in the past. If there was a limit for the time of the report, 1 think labor sould not feel that it was being taken for a ride. Thon it comes to lending money, it seems to me that we shoul d lend other mations equally. If = lend enly to Grest Britain, = enter into an economic alliance against other nations, and our hope for the future lies in joint cooperation. Te should enly lend in small amounts at present. Until we get inte production - can not sell any of these countries in great quantities and there is no value in their having, the money unless they can use it. They would also prefit by this type of survey and - would be making no