Correspondence Between President Harry S. Truman and Harry Hawes

LAW OFFICES TELEPHONES NA. 8451 & 8452 OF CABLE ADDRESS"SEWAH" HARRY B. HAWES TRANSPORTATION BUILDING WASHINGTON 6, D. C. PERSONAL April 13,1946 President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, White House. My dear Harry: The Congress has passed the Filipino War Damage Bill after a long delay. It provides, among other things, for the appointment by you, subject to the approval of the Senate, of a Commission of three composed of two Americans and one Filipino to review and pass upon war damage claims. I have refused, although besieged, to make recommend- ations to you for political appointments or promotions, and this is the only variation from this policy because one of the commissioners must be a Filipino. The unsettled political situation in the Philippines may cause you to rely upon advice disassociated from the pending election. President Roosevelt called me from Warm Springs just before he was inauguarated and asked if I would accept the position of Governor-General of the Philippines. I declined but have devoted practically all of my time since 1931 to the subject of Philippine-American relations. The responsibility of selecting the Philippine member of the Commission is yours, and I take the very great liberty of recommending to you, as strongly as I can, Dr. Urbano A. Zafra as the Filipino member. I have known Dr. Zafra for thirteen years and I can say confidently that his character, honesty and integrity are of the highest order and above reproach. Dr. Zafra has acted as Economic Adviser to both Presi- dents Quezon and Osmena, Member of President Osmena's War Cabinet, and Member of the Filipino Rehabilitation Commission. He is a lawyer, an economist and an accountant. He was delegate to the World's Organization Conference at Frisco last Spring and to other conferences of the United Nations. As Chairman of President Osmena's Technical Committee he was re- sponsible in the publication of five volumes on post-war Philippine rehabilitation and wrote the reports on "American- Philippine Trade Relations" and on "Philippine War Damages".