1836578658

October 14. 1953

Dear Dean:

1 have purposcly waltcd until the (lood ot welcome bad somewhat subalded in your ca»e before wrltlng you. Of coursc, 1 am delighted wlth your tafe return from a horrtble eapericnce, but what I want to say la this:

1 feel that the entire country owea you a very apecial regard for having peraonally auffered moje than any other man for the failurea of the period preccdlng the outbreak of the fightlng in Korea. And thla, in partlcular, becauae of the auperb mannęr in which you met the iaaue on the ground at the time and auffered for all of the failurea of the military, due in the largeat meaaure to the public reactions on Congreas.

During the laat war, I had aomewhat the aame feeling regarding the men who were captured on Bataan and Corregidor and other placea in the Phlltpplnee, particularly thoae at Bataan. But your caae ia markedly apart becauae of the auperb mannęr in which you met the iaaue on the ground, aa I have aaid.

1 wantęd you to know that I felt thia way about it and, whlle I did not come again into power In connectlon with military mattera until after your dlaappearance, I felt a degree of peraonal reaponaibility for what had happened.

Major General William F. Dean 1035 Park Hilla Road Be rkcley, California