Letter, Sally Clark to Franklin D. Roosevelt

25-1H April 14, 1942 My dear Miss Clark: Your letter of April tenth, addressed to Secretary Early, with the enclosed copy of communication, has been received and it will be made available to the President. You may be sure that your courtesy in writing is appreciated. Very sincerely yours, M. H. MoINTYRE Secretary to the President Miss Sally Clark, Suite 12, Drexler Building, Santa Maria, California. mrk achid 4-14-42 cmrk Santa Maria, Calif. April 10th, 1942. Dear Mr. Early: Will you please read the enclosed letter to Mr. Roosevelt. 8 Mr. Aram Rejebian, who was program director of KVEC at San Luis Obispo has just enlisted in the Marine Corp at Quantico Virginia, and he wrote this letter to his father upon enlisting. The reason that I am sending it on is that when it was read over the air it made such a deep impression on me that last night I dreamt that the Roosevelts were here in Santa Maria at our home and Mr. Roosevelt seemed so unhappy over the indifference of so many that I brought the letter out for him to read. He seemed so cheered up to know that our young men are so inspired that I thought the actual letter might really cheer him. Incidentally, in my dream I served scrambled eggs to the Roosevelts and Mrs. R. said they were her favorite food. Does she really like them? We think Mr. Roosevelt is doing one swell job and we surely are proud of him. May I make a suggestion? Why don't you put the whole country under martial law and have the government take over every single business in the country and have all of us just draw enough for our living and use the rest for the war effort and then of course after the war we can all take our businesses back and go on from Battle for freedom there. It might hurry this darn'business up. Sincerely yours, Sally clark Copy March 30th, 1942. Dear Dad: Received your two letters asking for word from me, but I have waited this long in the hopes of finding the right way of expressing myself. I guess there really isn't very much to say, but I want you to understand why I am leaving. It isn't a matter of too much flag-waving, bond-buying, or flashy uniforms. We can sit back and say the war is right or the war is wrong but that's all the farther we can get. That's what everybody said when the war started over in Europe. But now, it's getting close to home, and it's up to little people like you and me, Dad, to do something about it. Now we can do more than talk. Now, we can do more than hear and read about the war. We can get into it, Dad, and do our job to the best of our ability. And so, I'm getting into this fight. Not just to see how many Japs I can kill. I've never killed a man. I don't know how to do it. But, if that's what I have to do, I'll be there. I want to get in and I'm glad I'm getting there because of you and Mother and Johnny and Sister and all of the other decent and kind people in this world. If I ever thought that any enemy would try to force you to change your religious preaching If I ever thought that any enemy would even touch Mother but they won't Dad. Not as long as there is an American and I know there are millions of fellas like me saying tonite that there will always be an America. You have taught me never to hate. I hope I never shall hate, but if the time comes when I have to see what Europe is seeing, I will hate, and I know my hate for the oppressor will be favored by our God. Copy page 2. It's so easy to look outside and see the green hills, the quiet industry of people at work, the gay nites with young folks at play and say that no-one will ever come over here. But I know what you went thru in the old country, Dad. I can visualize what the Belgians, Dutch, Poles and Chinese are going thru. You won't go thru it again not as long as there is breath and strength in the body you and Mother gave me. We're not going to win this war for democracy. That's out too big a word. We're going/to win this war for you and Mother and Jim's family, and Bob's family and Joe's family and we're going to make it clean and decent and see that it stays that way. Well, I leave this Friday. Yes, I hope I get some action just like every other fella who's in uniform. We all want to get into it to show you that we're sincere. That we're proud of our Country and love it. That the only way of life is the American way. That if all this was worth living for, it's worth dying for. And I hope when it's all over that you'll be proud of me. Your loving son, Aram