Letter from Ana Mary Hoge to President Harry S. Truman

4914 Westway Dr. N.W. Washington 16, D.C. January 22, 1950 President of the United States & Dear Mr. President, miscel H Talk of a hydrogen superbomb may raise some sudden ex- pectancies and some fearful Dr. excitement. The fact that all powerful nations are equally able to manufacture such a weapon somewhat dampens our expectancies, should we entertain any. But I would like to pose this question: What good would it do any country in any modern war to efface all evidences of life within any particular one-hundred square miles? The ob- jectives of this country and this people are not to destroy HARRY life, but to destroy the tools of war or hate. The simple pro- SENSING cess of destroying life has never solved the problem of healing the distorted thoughts and ills of mankind. Strategically speaking, of what advantage would be germ warfare and super-hydrogen-bomb destruction when viewed in the long range cost of re-constructing land and people, -- or even in terms of winning a war? Wars are not won by destroying people and defeating nations. These acts but give birth to A greater wars. Wars are won by making ineffective their mechanical tools, defeating their instigators, leaders, and causal idealogies, and by effacing the causes for aggression. The layman's answer may not be that of the military strate- gist, but let us remind each that the time in history is here when, instead of manufacturing more effective mass-destroyers of the earth's life, men and governments must seek out and learn