Dear Mr. President:
 
 
It seems to me the location of all offices
of the Service here would be most advantageous; and to that
end an enormous palace was bought some years ago. But this
building is now in such condition that it would cost over
a million dollars to put it in order; and the consequences
of building of a subway under one corner of it are such that
I have urged upon the Department the exchange of the palace
for another place. If this could be approved this spring, I
think we could get a far better bargain than we could hope
for later. In case you can give the matter a moment's consideration,I wish you might see Mr. Phillips who was here
January I and looked into the matter carefully. Carr and Merrill of the Department are still using every influence they
have to get more than a million dollars added to the million
seven hundred thousand already invested; their attitudes are
personal I fear,rather than national.
How many mistakes our greater nations have made since
I920|  We refused to give the League of Nations a trial, though
we might have withdrawn in case we beacme convinced membership
meant nothing. Then we put through two tariff laws which made
the payment of debts impossible,nearly everybody talking about
paying in gold| Those two acts did more to set up the barriers
to commerce than anything else, and reduced our standard of living sadly. Then France insisted upon armaments to the limit and
caused Hitler to be able to seize control of the German nation.
And England refused to support us when we tried to stop Japan's
imperialism in China| Last November-December Hoare and Laval
defeated the first real League movement to stop war at a moment
when two-thirds of the German people were hoping to see Mussolini
stopped because it would mean later a stoppage here. That was a
blunder which now leads to the necessity of alliances; and alliances
are only repetitions of 1879 to 1914. I hardly know which people
have acted more stupidly; and all this armament business now reaches
five billion dollars cost a year - all nations bankrupt|
I had long talk last Saturday with Secretary von Neurath,
29th of February, who revealed his great anxiety, though he insisted
Hitler is really getting uneasy and listens more to the Foreign
Office. He agreed as to the terrible blunder of last November and
added that the hope of Europe now depends on a restoration of
the League and Germany's joining. Then he added,"but your country
is forming a League which will have the effect of making our League
European and then of creating an Asiatic League: certain war". Well
I could only say "No" with some doubt.
 
 
Yours Sincerely
William E. Dodd