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Nile Kinnick correspondence, December 1942-March 1943
1942-12-17: Page 01
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Thursday evening December 17, 1942 Dear SB: Your recent letters have meant a great deal to us, possibly because of the approach of the time when you will taking your place in the line with the thousands who have gone up to the battle for the freedoms that the world must and will have, to be followed by the tens of thousands who are getting ready for the same battle. In this letter I shall try to cover all of the points that will bring us up to date, particularly answering your letter of the 7th. To go back to your epistle of November 22d. You spoke of the eager pleasure of ordering and consuming the steak dinner, and it surely is one of the basic satisfactions of life as we ordinarily know it. But I scarcely sit down to the table these days without thinking of the people in the conquered countries, like the poor Greeks. I truely trust that we shall be able to relieve that situation and many others before long. Certainly we here in the land of plenty have little idea of the conditions existing among those under the thumb of tyranny. There have been times and places a plenty under almost all governments, including our own, when some people have lacked far too much, and I include them in the list of those who must have more opportunities for earning their share of the world's bounties. And I am in favor of that "opportunity for earning'", rather than doles and subsidies. It seems to me that we shall be quite awhile in recovering from the influences of a system which sustains its people thru "grants" rather than opportunities. I wonder if our succeeding administrations will recognize the difference. This is getting some distance away from the steak dinner but does have some relation. The indications are that we shall enjoy a much greater measure of rationing, both food and other good, than is now being experienced. I am inclined to believe that we may profit by a good dose of that sort of thing. We won't like it, and unless it is made quite clear that there is some necessity for it, the fellows who try to enforce it will feel the ax. To-night's radio announced the resignation of Leon Henderson,"because of illhealth". When handled in a proper manner it usually is good for a child with plenty to be obligated to share with another with less. Maybe this nation can be made to see that. Without much question we are doing that very thing now in the lend-lease program, and surely that is a cheap price for us to pay in sharing the cost of this battle with the most tremendous force for evil that the modern world has ever encountered. I hope the nation can do with fine grace and without the repercussions that often follow a dislocation, economically speaking. In closing this paragraph, I agree on the inappropriateness of trying to advise England on how to run her affairs. Our concern there is only on the general affect England's attitude may have in bringing a proper balance to the world after this fight has been won. We haven't so much to brag about, as you suggest, in handling our own problems, that we can assume a pedantic attitude. I want to see a lot more intellectual honesty in our government, too. It has seemed to me that Willkie has a large measure of that quality, and I believe it is one of the reasons why I have been enthusiastic about him. Perhaps he is a bit too naive for modern politics but I am willing to take a chance. I'll take him instead of the one with charm as a front for guile. In another two years I can see a tremendous crash, and the dust you see is the remains of the present administration. On the 28th of November you gave us some comments on the planes that you have been flying at Jax, That was most interesting to me, and with a little supplemental reading I readily understood the terms; I refer particularly to manifold pressure. When this is over I shall expect a little demonstration, remember.
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Thursday evening December 17, 1942 Dear SB: Your recent letters have meant a great deal to us, possibly because of the approach of the time when you will taking your place in the line with the thousands who have gone up to the battle for the freedoms that the world must and will have, to be followed by the tens of thousands who are getting ready for the same battle. In this letter I shall try to cover all of the points that will bring us up to date, particularly answering your letter of the 7th. To go back to your epistle of November 22d. You spoke of the eager pleasure of ordering and consuming the steak dinner, and it surely is one of the basic satisfactions of life as we ordinarily know it. But I scarcely sit down to the table these days without thinking of the people in the conquered countries, like the poor Greeks. I truely trust that we shall be able to relieve that situation and many others before long. Certainly we here in the land of plenty have little idea of the conditions existing among those under the thumb of tyranny. There have been times and places a plenty under almost all governments, including our own, when some people have lacked far too much, and I include them in the list of those who must have more opportunities for earning their share of the world's bounties. And I am in favor of that "opportunity for earning'", rather than doles and subsidies. It seems to me that we shall be quite awhile in recovering from the influences of a system which sustains its people thru "grants" rather than opportunities. I wonder if our succeeding administrations will recognize the difference. This is getting some distance away from the steak dinner but does have some relation. The indications are that we shall enjoy a much greater measure of rationing, both food and other good, than is now being experienced. I am inclined to believe that we may profit by a good dose of that sort of thing. We won't like it, and unless it is made quite clear that there is some necessity for it, the fellows who try to enforce it will feel the ax. To-night's radio announced the resignation of Leon Henderson,"because of illhealth". When handled in a proper manner it usually is good for a child with plenty to be obligated to share with another with less. Maybe this nation can be made to see that. Without much question we are doing that very thing now in the lend-lease program, and surely that is a cheap price for us to pay in sharing the cost of this battle with the most tremendous force for evil that the modern world has ever encountered. I hope the nation can do with fine grace and without the repercussions that often follow a dislocation, economically speaking. In closing this paragraph, I agree on the inappropriateness of trying to advise England on how to run her affairs. Our concern there is only on the general affect England's attitude may have in bringing a proper balance to the world after this fight has been won. We haven't so much to brag about, as you suggest, in handling our own problems, that we can assume a pedantic attitude. I want to see a lot more intellectual honesty in our government, too. It has seemed to me that Willkie has a large measure of that quality, and I believe it is one of the reasons why I have been enthusiastic about him. Perhaps he is a bit too naive for modern politics but I am willing to take a chance. I'll take him instead of the one with charm as a front for guile. In another two years I can see a tremendous crash, and the dust you see is the remains of the present administration. On the 28th of November you gave us some comments on the planes that you have been flying at Jax, That was most interesting to me, and with a little supplemental reading I readily understood the terms; I refer particularly to manifold pressure. When this is over I shall expect a little demonstration, remember.
Nile Kinnick Collection
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