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Office of the [JAG?] Washington, October 8/42
Dear Tom:
It was a pleasure to have your air mail letter yesterday. I often wish I could drop in for a good talk. The idea of your having a peace on our appeal board strikes me as an exceedingly appropriate one, and I very much hope it is realized. It is a very important type of work which you would do most excellently. The Dept of Justice would be fortunate to secure you, and I should think they would know it. Such work [sleeker?] [one as?] far more likely to [give?] you lasting satisfaction than anything you're apt to find in an A.S.C. appointment. Doubt how well you'd like life in Washington, however.
We stopped at the [Willard?] [few?] days ago to see Graham, but he was out. He called me on the phone later,
Oct 12
At that point I was interrupted, and then I failed to take the letter home with me to finish on Sunday. [We?] officers get a rush order, when some document [had?] to be [drafted?] in two or three hours, a couple days, or some other brief period, and all else has to be dropped. I enjoy this variety, it is such a change from the long-line jobs a prof. does in ordinary life.
As to the A.S.C. once more. My guess is that the desire to [stem?] the tide of applicants for comissions in the Army of the U.S. (i.e., the [keeperong?] part of the Army) was at [best?] as great a factor as the War Department's desire to avail itself of personnel not otherwise obtainable. The A.S.C. was organized with certainly an adequate staff of generals and colonels, whose job was procurement of [other?]
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ASC officers and men. For the others, my impression is that an ASC officer's work is interesting if he gets interesting work. (That sounds like a [TRPasun?]) I mean that if there is a vacancy, doing interesting work, for which Army personnel is not available, then the ASC officer who is recruited for that job will have good work to do. But they don't seem to loom larger here - we have a 1st [lieut.?] in the [JOSO?], and I see one major in the allotment division of the ASO. They are not much in [evidence?] when I am in [Marvelous?] Bldg. The [flag?] is less than for corresponding ranks in the Army, doubtless to make certain that people didn't come in for that reason. And unless we get in a worse way I doubt if ASC officers play an important role in the [W.D.?]. So if a job that really interests you is offered, that's one thing. But to get just a job might prove to be a rather profitless way of spending the war time.
A Dept of Justice appeal board, on the other hand, calls for [political deceivement?] (or to be able to distinguish between [featuring?] urbanity, an even balance between liberals with a big L or [superpatrols?], and a sense of decency, fairness, and the practical needs of foot. I think the Dept, would be lucky to embed you, and you would be well [solicited?] I hope. And could quit before the war is over if you saw fit.
I had a half day Saturday and we walked along the old Potomac canal, from Georgetown to a point some 5 miles higher. [Talmage?] is beautiful now.
I am waiting, just at the moment, for movers to come and take us to [Mumteous?] Bldg, 20th Constitution, N. Co. That will be only 5 min or so from where we are staying, 20th and F - as contrasted with an hour's ride by crowded street car. Also it will [that M. JAGO?]
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back in touch with the W.D.
Thank you very much for the memo on [Watterson's?] article on the elec of '76. Things like that are hard to locate. I've not had the occasion to look it up, not having been near L of C [Pearce?] make notes of such things for me as you chance upon them.
You remark that you think Salter is there only temporarily. I assume you're in jest in experiencing any doubt on the subject. Ast to other matters - do you really think any radical change in major things will be made [durante bello?]
This letter has rambled on long enough for this time. I'm always glad to hear from you. And I do hope you are soon engaged in some suspiciously [satisfying?] activity.
Yours, Chuck
