Evening star., 1951-03-04
Marine Writes Learns Secretary Acheson Fhno

Learns TfO" Je
of the principals of one Of our
high schools. He related to me
that his teachers absolutely re-
fused to take civil defense seri-
ously, that 1t was a tempest in a
teapot and. anyhow it was the
figment Of the administrators
Imagination that caused all the
furore-that we would never be
bombed or otherwise attacked.
note the remarks Of various Sen
ators and Congressman, and any,
way, what was it you read in the
press.
"I have had members of my
own party discount the sincere
efforts of the President of the
United States, simply because
they wished in that way to re-
sist the necessity of facing up to
world that is becoming increas-
ingly more atavistic and repre-
henSible.
'Mr. Secretary. I have lived on
every continent, worked in most
of the countries of the world. or
visited them and have a work
ing knowledge Of 10 languages.
none Of them taught to me aca-
demically but which I have
learned because needed them. I
see about me so many things
which are left undone,, which
should be done. and I want more
than anything else to wake my
countrymen up to the necessity of
realizing we are not living in q
chocolate-coated world, but one
that is armed to the teeth against
us by and through actual armor
or armed against us in propagat-
ing the belief that we have only
a nickel under foot to motivate
our activities.
II know of personal knowledge
that most Of the peoples OF the
world have sneaking respect for
us. that they like us fairly well for
ourselves alone. that they fear us
far more than we fear them. but
all Of whom could be turned
against us simply because they are
jealous Of our way Of life which
we have earned for ourselves by
hard work and ingenuity. hope
you will help me with this letter
to my son.
Sincerely yours.
Clarence E. Moullette,
Assistant to the Mayor"
Acheson's Reply to Father.
Dear Mr.. Moullette:
II have thought a great deal
about the letter from your son,
which you sent me. and your prob
lem IN answering it wisely and
helpfully. 1t brought back many
memories to me Of 10 years ago
when my own son was in college,
before he went to the Pacific, and
I used to sit with him and his
friends and talk over their prob
lens which loomed ahead Of them
and all of us.
II thought then-and think
now-that the real problem lies
deeper than the questioning of
particular decisions-even the I'm
portant ones which distress your
son. 1t lies in the fact-for which
we thank God-that these boys
have been brought up In the fun
damental decency and rightness
Of American life. They have lived
in communities where they have
breathed In with the air truth and
tolerance Of others interests.
generosity and good nature. hard
work, honesty and fairness. To
all Of them opened the opportu-
nifty for happy and constructive
lives. their own homes and fami-
lies, work to do, q part to play
In the community In q hundred
ways. They saw no problems, here
at home. that would not yield to
effort. ingenuity and the give-and-
take Of people who believed In the
same right values.
Now. just at the moment when
they were about to enter fully as
grown men in this world. Its
promise is dashed. In its place,
they find hardship, loneliness, un-
certainty. danger. They are sep
arated from family and friends.
Even worse, they are denied the
natural development of their lives
The fact that this happens to
them because some distant and
shadowy figures in the Kreml;n,
controlling millions of people far
from them, are setting out to make