Correspondence Between Senator Harry S. Truman and Judge Lewis Schwellenbach

COPD Washington, D. c. April 21, 1942 Honorable Lewis B. Schwellenbach Unit ed States District Judge C Spokane, Washington Dear Lew: It was certainly a pleasure to get your good letter of the Ninth, and I have had so many things to do and so much work piled up on me I have not had a chance to answer it. I had a letter from Hatch a few days ago in which he stated he hoped to be back in Washington some time in the next three or four weeks. They removed the cast which must have been a most uncomfortable thing to wear. I have not heard from him since they took it off. I think you are entirely correct in saying that it is about time for us to get mad at the Japs instead of quarreling among ourselves. My Committee has had so much publicity in the last sixty days that its work is not nearly as efficient as it was before that time. We are in a situation where the slightest mistake will cause us serious difficulty. I have tried to conduct the program in such a way that the facts could speak for themselves. Just the other day I refused an offer to make ten speeches for a fee of $4,000.00 and expenses. Of course Marting Dies has followed a program of that sort but I think when he does he sells the country down the river. No one cares about hearing me speale, and the Chairman of this Committee is not for sale. The program is slowly and gradually approaching a serious and difficult bogdown. The Government has financed hundreds of plants for magnesium, aluminum, steel, rubber, and everything else that is necessary to win the war, and very shortly these plants are going to be in production. In the meantime truck tires are going to begin to give out. The ship- building program is not up to schedule and we are going to have all our docks loaded with materials,and freight cars are going to be standing by