Eleanor Roosevelt to Peter Lucas
Eleanor Roosevelt to Peter Lucas
11 January 1947 [New York City]
Dear Mr. Lucas:
In answer to your letter I think probably the best thing that any college students, whether veterans or not, can do is to familiarize themselves with the problems facing their own country and take an active interest in their communities in solving these problems.
I think as individuals they should back up the Baruch report and insist that there be international authority to control atomic energy and that we have inspection and punishment for all areas throughout the world.
I do not think that veterans can be directly helpful in formulating UN policies unless they are working either in the Secretariat or with the delegates or representatives in the various commissions or councils, but since everything that is done in the United Nations must be supported by the countries individually, every veteran can help form public opinion in their own communities and in that way create knowledge among the UN representatives of what the country feels on the various questions which are now coming up.
I have felt that probably a year of service for every man and even for every girl, might tend to make us a more healthy nation and to give us all a sense of responsibility which would extend from military service to our citizen responsibility. This might not prevent another Pearl Harbor but I think it would go a long way toward making us all aware of the duties of a citizen.
College for veterans is a fine thing if the veteran knows just what he wants to do and what he wants to achieve in college.
Very sincerely yours,
TLc AERP, FDRL
1. Peter R. Lucas to ER, 27 December 1946, AERP.
On American Relief for Greek Democracy
December 24, 1946, Harry N. Boardman of New York City wrote ER objecting to a New York Times advertisement in which ER asked readers to contribute to a Christmas fund for Greek children sponsored by the American Relief for Greek Democracy. He could not "understand your permitting the use of your name" in such a manner and asked how she could allow herself to be used "as a 'front' for another Communist activity."1 She responded two weeks later.