The Washington herald., 1920-02-15
HOOVER TELLS
]. SOME. FACTS
ElS WITH WISHES FOR MANY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
Letter to Friend Answers
Several Questions Asked
Recently.
By United Press.

BY United Press
New York. Feb. 1L-Herbert Hoover,
In a letter made public tonight. re-
piled to various charges made against
him since he was mentioned as n pos
sible candidate for President. He
denied:
That he has fortune of slO.oooOOo
or any investments IN Great Britain.
That he is a British subject.
That he ever attended a political
luncheon at which loans to Great
+, Britain were discussed.
That he regards ii as criminal to
handle large enterprises or to pur-
sue his profession OF engineering in
foreign countries
The letter. written to Casper W.
Hodsson. Yonkers, N. Y, a personal
friend. in response to numerous let
ters and kilograms asking him to
reply to attacks upon him. follows:
Il have noted your feeling that
j should answer some of the solemn
>diseourses on my private life and
crimes do not seem TO get into
the way of politically minded folks
even when trying to keep out of
politics
Some things that have been said
OF me cause me a sense of financial
oversight For instance i have
made quite careful inquiries and
regret so far I cannot find:
-Ca) The s1o.O0s.O 900 / am said to
have maze in my carly youth. or
even middle age or altogether, or
any respectable part OF it
-CbO The Investments that i am
supposed to have in Great Britain.
Like the negro porter who was
asked 10 change SO. 1 am grateful
for the compliment 1 am sorry
that these sums do not exist for
they would be useful for the Chill
dren-s Relief
y have also given deep consid-
Grafton to the other items men,
toned
Did 1 ever apply for such citizen
ship No Many generations of
prosecuted Quaker ancestors would
rise in their graves at such a dis
covery- They should remain quiet
ed however, for no Californian
could live three months in Lon
don climate and become a British
citizen IL he knew it One thing
that treasures me that this did not
happen without my knowledge is
that the British refused to allow
me TO come into their island dur
inE the war without an American
passport. Also, l feel that my ac-
cen. was disinfected of an Eng
lisN. F-enCH. Chinese, Russian or
os1r- taiats- by my presence in
the United States a portion of every
= calendar year of my life-except
thres-eyen including the five in
which that United States exercised
i.s right 20 draft my services. a
good portion abroad
"(b) Did / ever rent a resi-
dence' abroad? 1 plead guilty of
this crime, but in mitigation / do
: appeal to the feelings of fathers
who object to hotel life for babies
and children
"Cc) XShat about that political
lunch where was supposed t.
have entered upon dreadful con-
Spiracy against the veal of the
.'mcricau people? My real distress
in this matter is not to prove an
aIihi or even to complain that my
ham" was tot even mentioned, as
TIE guests assert. but it is that l
was not even invited and therefore
lost an excellent lunch.
"td) I plead guilty to the GRIM
inaI charge of pursuing my en-
EinccTin= profession in foreign
parts again and again. l have a
Iervent hope that this new doc
tTinc or CriminaIity will not deter
cur citizens from extending Amer
iyan professions and business any
where in the world. They always
bring something home. and pay
taxes on il.
80 gather also that it is
mora! turpitudc on my part to have
managed large enterprises. The
hope To rise from the ranks of la
Dor to the ranks Of management
will. however. probably not be
crushed from tho heart of the
American hoy even by this on
Slaught."