Roosevelt Papers
President Roosevelt to President Inönü1
My Dear President Inonu: I was made very happy when Ambassador Steinhardt brought me the excellent photograph of your good self—and I am happy indeed to have it.
I hope much that the day will come when you and I can meet, for I have long had an admiration for you and all that you are doing.
Our two Nations have, in so many ways, the same ideals of enlightened progress that it is right that we should be found with the same feelings toward this great crisis through which all of the peoples of the world are passing.
I hope, particularly, that when this war is ended, there will be not only an assurance of peace for many generations to come, but that agreements will be reached whereby smaller nations will no longer have to be concerned over the maintenance of their complete independence. In past years, the amount of money that has had to be spent on armaments, great and small, instead of on productive industry and agriculture and the arts, has been a disgrace to all of us in every part of the world.
I think that we are both aware of each other’s problems—and again I wish that you and I could have the opportunity of talking over these and many other things.2
With my warm regards and my hope that you will surely let me know if at any time in the future I can be of any service,
Very sincerely yours,
- Probably delivered by Steinhardt, who was in the United States in September–October 1943 and who left Washington on October 27, 1943, to return to Ankara.↩
- For the reply to this expression of Roosevelt’s desire to talk over various matters with Inönü, see Steinhardt’s telegram 1869, November 14, 1943, post, p. 86.↩