Dear
Winston: The last sentence of your letter, with its implication that you are soon to withdraw from active political life, started, in my memories, a parade of critical incidents and great days that you and I experienced together, beginning at the moment we first met in Washington, December, 1941.1 Since reading it I have been suffering from an acute case of nostalgia.
First I recall those late days of 1941, when this country was still shuddering from the shock of Pearl Harbor. I think of those occasions during the succeeding months when I was fortunate enough to talk over with you some of the problems of the war, and I especially think of that Washington visit of yours in June of '42, when we had to face the bitter reality of the Tobruk disaster.2
Somewhere along about that time must have marked the low point in Allied war fortunes. Yet I still remember with great admiration the fact that never once did you quail at the grim prospect ahead of us; never did I hear you utter a discouraged word nor a doubt as to the final and certain outcome.
Later, of course, we were often together as we planned the TORCH Operation, the Sicilian venture, the move into Italy, and the campaign through Normandy. Then, in these later years, starting with my return to Europe in January of '51, I have valued beyond calculation my opportunities to meet with you, especially when those meetings were concerned with the military and diplomatic problems of the free world and our struggle against the evil conspiracy centering in the Kremlin. Because I do so highly value this long association and friendship with you, I echo your hope that the impending divergence of our lives will apply to political occasions only. Indeed, I entertain the further hope that with greater leisure, you will more often find it possible to visit us in this country--after all, we do have a fifty percent share in your blood lines, if not in your political allegiance.3
Of course both Foster and I have been unhappy about the affair of the Yalta papers.4 Actually we had hoped that we had made adequate arrangement for an indefinite postponement of the appearance of the documents; an unexplained leak finally put the State Department in the position that it had either to release the papers publicly or to allow one lone periodical a complete scoop in the matter.5
As for myself, you know how earnestly I have argued that no matter what else might happen, really good international friends cannot ever afford to be guilty of bad faith, one toward the other. I pray that you do not consider that any such thing was intended in this case.
Ever since 1945, I have argued for the declassification of war records in order that our countries could profit from past mistakes. But I have also insisted that where documents touch upon our combined alliances and arrangements of the late war, published accounts should be limited to a recitation of fact and decision--they should not include mere conversation or gossip.
I think the entire subject is one to which we should give some attention because I am certain that future political battles will create, in some instances, irresistible demands for the publication of particular papers. At least I suspect that this will be true in this country and consequently I think we should prepare as intelligently as possible for this eventuality.6
Foster has just returned from Canada where he had a series of very fine visits with the members of the Canadian Government. While there, he had an opportunity to explain the reasons for our attitude in the Formosa matter.7
As you know, I am dedicated to the idea that unless the free world can stand firmly together in important problems, our strength will be wasted and we shall in the long run be ineffective in our struggle to advance freedom in the world and to stop the spread of Communism. I believe it to be especially important that we seek to understand each other's viewpoints in Southeast Asia, because in that region we have a very delicate--sometimes dangerously weak--situation and one to which the future welfare and fortunes of the free world are definitely related. If we can achieve the kind of common understanding and thinking that we should, then I feel that there will never be any doubts as to this country's readiness to stand firmly by the side of any other free nation opposing aggression in that region. We have no possessions in that immediate area. Consequently, we cannot be accused of any support of colonialism or of imperialistic designs. We recognize situations that have been properly and legally established and we certainly want to halt Communism dead in its tracks.
To do this, one of the essentials is a strong and continuous land defense of Formosa. This can be done--certainly under present conditions--only by Chiang Kai-shek and his troops. This in turn means that their morale and their vigor, their training and equipment, must all be adequately assured. Until the time comes that they themselves feel that their morale can be sustained, even though their forces are withdrawn from all of their outlying positions, we must be exceedingly careful of the pressures we attempt to apply to Chiang to bring about such a result.
Except for this one feature, I agree entirely with the thoughts you have expressed in your former letters on this touchy subject, and I hope also that you have no difficulty of seeing the importance of this morale feature in Formosa.8
As to the "portrait": Since Mr. Stephens has come back, I have had no opportunity to meet with him to go over the work he did on my behalf.9 However, in the meantime I discovered a small black and white print of a portrait of you that was painted some years ago. In order to obtain some practice in the task I had set for myself, I have painted a small canvas, using this photograph as a guide. I do not know the name of the original artist, but it is a picture of you sitting in a straight-backed chair, in a panelled study, and holding a cigar in your right hand. Considering my lack of qualifications in this field, it did not turn out badly and I have had a color photograph made of it, which I am forwarding with this letter.10
Actually, I have not had time to complete every detail of this particular canvas because I must say that it is difficult for me to give a fairly realistic impression of the stripes in a statesman's trousers. I could wish that, at least for the day you sat for that portrait, you could have worn your wartime "zipper suit."
With my affectionate regard and my most prayerful wishes for your continued good health and happiness, As ever
