Dear Percy: The attached paper deals with a project that has long had a strong personal appeal for me, the establishment of an American Armed Forces Institute. The matter has been studied before, by General Pershing and a group under him in 1923.1 Later, in 1946, a small private group headed by David Finley made a report to President Truman on the project.2
Recently, I have had a small group of civilians making a preliminary study for me, which I send along to you with this memorandum, as well as a copy of the report by the 1946 Committee.3 I should like for you to study the matter and give me a report on it at your convenience.
I am not interested in a mere Museum type of operation that shows the kind of buttons worn by the Revolutionary soldier and the kind of musket he shot. But I am interested in some exhibit that gives to us an indication of what the Continental soldier--and his successors in 1812, 1845, 1865, 1898, 1917, 1942 and 1950-- have contributed to our civilization. By this I mean what they have done to give us the life we enjoy today.
In the same way, I am not interested merely in some antiquated field order of Nathanael Greene or Nathan Forrest.4 But I am interested in documents and literature that show us why wars have been fought, how we have organized our democracy to fight them, and what have been their destructive effects on our financial structure and indeed our whole economy.
Finally, I am not interested in gazing on modern weapons of destruction, just to express horror of the destructiveness of war. But I am interested in a display that can help Americans understand what war means today and how necessary it is, if our type of economy and civilization is to endure, that we--all of us--put our hearts and souls into the job of bringing about a more stable peace which can justify disarmament step by step until these destructive weapons will be unknown.
I merely tell you this to show you that far from a mausoleum type of development, I am thinking of something dynamic and educational.
Of course there are many obstacles--one of which is money-- even if you and other trusted advisers would agree that it is desirable to go ahead with such a project. There would have to be a preliminary Commission that could outline the whole project and its possibilities in detail, so that there could be built up logical organization and plans. Legislation authorizing such a project could possibly be secured from the Congress, say, within a year (assuming the Congress has any interest in the matter), and thereafter the annual appropriations--assuming a gross outlay of some $45-50 million--would probably range between a very small amount in the first year up to $20 million each for the year of completion.
However, in spite of all these things, I should like, provided my principal associates agree with me, to get the thing started during my Administration.5 Sincerely
