Signed letter, signed « D.E. », Washington 5 May 1958, to Harry M. ANHOLT, Realty Hotels, Inc., in New-York ; 2 pages in-4 format, typed document, on letterhead “The White House”; in English.
Presidential plea in favor of the modernization of the Department of Defense.
“I am sure it is no news to you that I am engaged in an all-out effort to secure legislation under which the Defense Department may be organized to meet modern security requirements with maximum efficiency and minimum cost. In a number of instances I have detailed publicly my reasons for urging this action; I hope you believe these sound. Because of your business experience, it seems to me that you may be particularly impressed by an analogy suggested to me lately by a good friend who heads one of our great corporations. He suggested that present operations within the Department of Defense are similar to a corporate operation that would permit each important subordinate to report separately and independently to the Board of Directors, bypassing the Chief Executive entirely. This, of course, would be completely unworkable; it could hardly be tolerated long, because tough competition with better organized units would soon produce a profit and loss statement that could spell disaster… […] If this little comparison with corporate practices appeals to you as helpful in appreciating the crying need for Defense modernization, I hope that you, and others, will find it useful in awakening the public to the grave seriousness of this matter. I am sending this letter, or one nearly identical, to a number of my good friends in the business world.”
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