Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-15
'FDR Would Crinue'

May I compliment you on
your editorial "F. D. r. Would
Cringe," Of June IL, in which
you say that THE construc-
ton of the slabs, however,
would be the ultimate indig-
nifty"
1t Is my hope, and I feel
quite confident, that the
Congress will reject this dis
credited proposal. At the
hearing I called attention to
my own bill, H. r. 1904.
which would provide for a
Franklin D. Roosevelt Me-
mortal Park, with seasonal
flowers, at the same site.
No attempt was made at
the hearings on Friday, June
8, to contest the conclusion
Of the Fine Arts Commission
that the 167-foot memorial
would do violence to the Lin
coin and Jefferson Memorials
which 1t is required to har-
monte with by the authoriz-
ing law.
Your editorial writer erred
in saying that mo one at the
hearing seemed to remember,
or to care, that Mr.. Roose-
welt himself had expressed to
Justice Frankfurter the wish
that any monument to his
memory in Washington be
simple and modest"
In my own testimony to the
committee, I pointed out that
the D. c. Recreation Board
had urged all members Of
Congress to work for q park
as a memorial to Ed r. I
went on to say: THE Board
urged that this park, which
is so strategically located be-
tween the Lincoln and Jeffer-
son Memorials. be renamed
the Franklin d. Roosevelt
Memorial Park with a simple
stone marker in conformity
with the request for q simple
memorial made by President
Roosevelt himself. This re-
quest was related to his friend
Justice Felix Frankfurter.
Certainly, President Roose-
velt's wishes should be re-
spected."
The spokesman for the
D. c. Recreation Board told
the committee Of the Boards
concern for the fast-disap-
pearing park areas Of the
Nations Capital, and sug-
gested that the 27-acre site
be rose garden or rose field,
which is the English trans
lation Of the Dutch ancestral
meaning Of the name Roose-
welt, and that the park be
developed as a center for cul-
ture and recreation.
This is the plan which I
wholeheartedly recommended
to the members Of the sub
committee, and which my
own bill, H. r. 1904, would
provide. I can think Of moth
ing that would be q more
lasting and permanent me-
mortal, and at the same time,
be a finer contribution to the
development Of our Capital
City.
The National Recreation
Association, of which Presi-
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt
was a member, told the House
Committee that the slab me-
mortal, which would pre-empt
q acres Of park land in the
District Of Columbia, was
mot in keeping with his phil
osophy Of conservation as we
know it, nor with his concern
for the well-being Of his fell
low Americans"
This national recreation
group stated, and, I think
very much to the point, that
"Our country is engaged in a
great effort to get and keep
open space before it is too
late. Certainly, Washington,
our Capital City, should be a
showcase for this effort"
william b. WidnalI,
Representative, 7th District,
New Jersey.
I was delighted to read
your editorial concerning the
proposed memorial in honor
of Franklin D. Roosevelt
While I have no particular
admiration for Franklin D
Roosevelt I am Mortified at
the thought Of the face OF
Mother Earth" being disfig-
ured by such a monStrosity
1t seems incredible that the
design could have seriously
been proposed and accepted
by anyone.
Furthermore, Just think OF
the confusion it would cause
future generations who have
contact with other planets
They would be forever ex-