Presidential Papers, Doc#210 To William Chapman Foster, 25 May 1953. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Document #210; May 25, 1953
To William Chapman Foster
Series: EM, AWF, Name Series: American Red Cross
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XIV - The Presidency: The Middle Way
Part II: Settling into "the long pull"; May 1953 to August 1953
Chapter 3: "A time for continued vigilance"

 

Dear Bill:1 Roland Harriman tells me that he is hoping to secure your acceptance of the position as President of the American Red Cross.2 Because of my very great interest in the Red Cross--an interest that has in it a very great debt of gratitude for what it did for our soldiers during the entire period of the war--I am hopeful that you can accept. In these days and times, with the world in turmoil, situations are constantly arising which call for logical and prompt decisions on the part of the Executive Heads of the Red Cross. I would derive a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that you were exerting a major influence in this kind of decision, and would be directly responsible for their execution.3

With warm personal regard, Sincerely

1 Foster, a trade association executive, had served as Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1951 to 1953 (for background see Galambos, NATO and the Campaign of 1952, no. 468).

2 Red Cross President E. Roland Harriman had written Eisenhower on May 22 to express his hope that "some outstanding citizen" could be appointed full-time president of the Red Cross so that Harriman could become chairman. He went on to say that he found Foster interested and that he believed that Foster could be persuaded to take the position if Eisenhower wrote to him (AWF/N: American Red Cross).

3 In his reply of May 27 Foster said that he had to decline the offer because he had decided to reenter business (ibid.).

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To William Chapman Foster, 25 May 1953. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 210. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/210.cfm

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