Dear
Mrs. Foster: I was deeply touched by your letter outlining the distressing situation in which you and your family find yourselves.1
There is no need to tell you that the kind of situation you describe does not come about through any deliberate intent of the government. When rapid--emergency--expansion of the armed forces is later followed by a sober appraisal of needs and a studied plan of fitting units into consolidated groupments, the kind of result that you describe is bound to happen. The one thing somewhat unique about the situation of Port Townsend, as you outline it, is the extraordinary degree to which it has become dependent for its living upon the occupation of the local fort, which, as I remember, was never a large one.
Nevertheless, I agree with you that, no matter how these things came about, the kind of distress that you describe is very real and vital, and requires instant and understanding attention.
I have handed your letter to one of the best executives and greatest humanitarians that I have met.2 I have asked him to inquire instantly into the entire history of Fort Worden and military activities there. At the same time, he will search through the departments of government to see if there is any possible way in which the fort can be used so as to give your town some temporary relief at least. I do not want to be unjustifiably optimistic, but I want you to know that, if there develops some way in which we can be helpful, we will not hesitate to follow it.
As to what you say about the possible error in your voting, I can only observe that in such things you of course have to exercise your own judgment, just as every free American is expected to do. This Administration is not worshipping slogans, such as "Balanced Budget"--it is trying to get our affairs in shape for the benefit of all our people; its concern is for 160,000,000 citizens. The actual fact is that the United States has long lived way beyond its means, and the effort toward achieving a "balanced budget" is merely to preserve the value of the dollar that "Mr. Average Citizen" earns and saves and invests in insurance policies and in bonds. Unless we have stability in our money values, every pension will continuously diminish in value, and Social Security measures will be a mockery.3
In the process of attempting to diminish the taxes that are taken from the average citizen, governmental expenditures must first come down. It was out of this kind of thinking and not out of some academic or theoretical concept of "budget balance" that different facilities and installations have been abandoned where these were not suitably placed for the essential needs of the government. Of course, it is possible that a mistake has been made in the case of Fort Worden, and that is the reason for the thorough reexamination I have ordered. Possibly the original mistake was in the expansion of the post in 1950 because, as I read your letter, that was when your troubles really started. Your letter says little about Port Townsend's economy before 1950, when the Korean trouble started.
It goes without saying that I am deeply distressed by the situation in which you, your family, and your neighbors now find yourselves. I devoutly pray that something will turn up through which we may be helpful. Beyond this, I am proud of your insistence that you do not want charity whether it be in tax money or in some other form.4 Moreover, I am certain you would have added, had you thought of it, that the prosperity of the United States of America and of Port Townsend should not be dependent upon war or preparation for war. Finally, I take a personal pride in the fact that you wrote your appeal to me so frankly, so fully, and with such confidence that some effort would be made to see what could be done.5 Very sincerely
