I just wanted to vector readers to a recent
NBC news article relaying one of the items at the CIA museum at Langley, Virginia -- a letter from future CIA Director Richard Helms to his 3-year old son Dennis, dated 1945. What makes the letter so compelling was not its content but the stationery itself. Helm's letter was written on a notecard from Adolf Hitler's personal stationery supply (see photo).
The poignancy of this simple, sweet note is evident. Helms was a member of OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the modern CIA) during the war and he presumably had no idea that his future would include roles in multiple administrations as a senior intelligence officer. Also, he no doubt made an impulsive decision to both communicate (endearingly I might add) with his son and present a contrast all at the same time -- a father's love letter on a monster's stationery.
Helms' letter also includes a number of other messages that characterize to his son why the world was so crazy at the time and what had to be done:
- "The man who might have written on this card once controlled Europe, three short years ago when you were born."
- "He was a force for evil."
- "His passing [and] his defeat [are] a boon for mankind, but thousands died that it might be so."
The main message, of course, rings true as mentioned many times by this author. Freedom is not free. There will never be an end to evil. And America must always be prepared to defend freedom and protect its citizens.
