JAMES FORRESTAL

JAMES FORRESTAL
(1892 - 1949) US Secretary of the Navy from 1944 to 1947. Typed letter signed, as Secretary of the Navy, Washington, 18 March, 1947, 1 page, 10.5 x 8 in., in part: 'I know you are glad that your boy has been released from the service...I feel you are entitled to an explanation of why it was necessary to retain members of the Medical Corps...the Navy estimated that by 1 September there would be not more than 18,000 patients in naval hospitals. In midsummer, however, it became apparent that we would have almost double that number to care for...I decided that the needs of the sick and wounded outweighed all other considerations...all contribute materially and vitally to the efficient functioning of the whole...your boy has made a substantial contribution to the health, well being and morale of many wounded and sick men who otherwise would have had cause to believe that their sacrifices and service had been quickly forgotten.' Signed at conclusion in black in. Mailing folds, one inch split at fold. Very good.