October 1, 1941

My dear Margie:

Your nice letter came yesterday to the Melbourne Hotel in St. Louis. I am glad you like your Spanish and your teacher of it. In days to come it will be a most useful asset. Keep it up and when we get to the point where we can take our South American tour you can act as a guide and interpreter.

Ancient History is one of the most interesting of all studies. By it you find out why a lot of things happen today. But you must study it on the basis of the biographies of the men and women who lived it. For instance, if you were listening in on the Senate Committee hearings of your dad, you'd understand why old Diogenes carried a lantern in the daytime in his search for an honest man. Most Everybody is fundamentally honest, but when men --- or women are entrusted with public funds or trust estates of other people they find it most difficult to honestly administer them. I can't understand or find out why that is so -- but it is.

You will also find out that people did the same things, made the same mistakes and followed the same trends as we do today. For instance, the Hebrews had a republic three or four thousand years ago that was almost ideal in its practical workings. Yet they tired of it and went to a monarchy or totali tarian state. So did Greece, Carthage, Rome.

Israel had its David and Solomon, Greece, Alexander the Great, Carthage, its Hannibal and Rome, Julius Caesar. I wish you'd take Mr. Plutarch and read very carefully his history of various Greek and Roman he roes.

Hannibal was the greatest of all military leaders. We have only the records of his enemies to judge him by. But he won every battle for twenty-one years in the enemy's country and lost the war. All studies of military tactics are based on his campaigns. Alexander the Great inaugurated the present-day blitz and panzer program. Read about his phalanx and how he used it. Hitler evidently has read about them -- as had Napoleon and Robert E. Lee, I'm glad you like Ancient History-- wish I could st udy it again with you. buy this month's National Geographic and see how like us Ancient Egypt was. Here is a dollar to buy it with. You can buy soda pop with the change.

You tell your old grandmother how sorry I am to be away from home while she is there--but I really can't help it.

Hope you had a good time at your luncheon-show. Kiss mamma and say hello to grandmother.

Lots of love to you

Dad
xxxxxxxxx oooooo