The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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WASHINGTON, Wednesday—It was most interesting at the dinner last night of the Southern Conference for Human Welfare to hear Dr. Homer P. Rainey, former president of the University of Texas, speak.

Various academic organizations have been deeply troubled over the action taken by the trustees of the University of Texas. It is difficult, when you hear Dr. Rainey speak, to understand what is the basis of this whole agitation, because it must go beyond the mere question of academic subjects and administration. In any case, having known Dr. Rainey ever since he did such a very interesting piece of work in the American Youth Commission—where he was associated not only with academic people but with people in the business world and of many varied interests—I was happy to see him again and to find him unchanged and still a dynamic and interesting person.

I have had one or two letters from people whose relatives are prisoners in Germany and who have been confused by having what seemed to them contradictory directions for communication with our prisoners. Having now obtained the proper directions, I am going to give them here in the hope that they will be of assistance to others who are anxious to reach their men who are prisoners of war as quickly as possible.

When the regular blanks are used, the post office will take the letter without stamps.

When the regular blanks are not used, the writer must send the letter to Washington to be mailed, as so many people were using stationery that had advertising and propaganda on it—such as "Buy War Bonds," etc.—which the German government would not accept.

A label from the provost-marshal's office is issued to the next of kin. Instructions are given on this as to how to mail and address the package, and it allows one 11-pound package to be mailed every 60 days. Sometimes labels come directly from the prisoner; he might get some French prisoner of war labels and send them, thinking they could be used. So be sure your labels are those used by the United States.

When a person has been notified that a man is a prisoner of war, but there is still no address as to what camp he is in, the mail must be sent to Geneva, in care of the Red Cross, for delivery.

I arrived back in Washington almost an hour late this morning, but had no engagements until my press conference at 11 o'clock. That was attended by three members of the League of Women Voters, who wished to tell the press about their efforts to interest women in the Dumbarton Oaks proposals. We also had as guests two women correspondents from the French press.

E. R.

(COPYRIGHT 1945 BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC.)


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About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, March 8, 1945

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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