Letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to President Harry S. Truman

VAL-KILL COTTAGE HYDE PARK. DUTCKESS COUNTY NEW YORK August 9, 1950 Dear Mr. President: You will forgive ne, I hope, if I send you this personal letter. The story written by Honer Bigart in the Herald Tribune yesterday sorning 1s, from my point of view, if true, a very shocking one and I en afraid it vill have & very bad effect on the morale of mothers and vives in this country. For a rich country like ours to be sacrifigipe its boys with imperfect equipment when they have toffatest and newest USSR equipment is going to bring not only attacks from the Republicans but violent feeling on the part of the vomen of the country. To send the Harines from Hawaii with trucks which vere old and rebuilt and which promptly broke down, is really a crime. I can not tell you how the feeling against Secretary Johnson is building up because people feel that for pel- itical reasons he tried to go even beyond what was asked in the way of economy and 18 therefore responsible for our poor showing in the way of ecuipment. It may be completely unfair but the fact remains that that is what a great many people are beginning to feel. I do hope we can open the United Nations General Assembly with & very strong speech, giving our plans for beace and not leave the initiative to the USSR. They vill certainly present theirs and somehow ours- should be a better one, and presented first. a I an deeply concerned and regret that I felt I had to write you this. Very cordially yours, x1285-6 marms beepe Then Krowest x144-A R x1285-mine x1285