Lengthy war-dated TLS as president, two pages, 8 x 10.5, White House letterhead, March 13, 1943. FDR writes to the Right Reverend W. Appleton Lawrence in Springfield, Massachusetts. In part: “I must appeal to your forbearance for my seemingly long delay in answering your letter of January fourteenth, received, as you know, during my absence in North Africa. I feel, also, that you will give charitable consideration to the extraordinary pressure under which I am working these days and to other circumstances which have militated against an earlier reply.
Meanwhile, I have sought information from responsible officials concerning the specific objections which you raise with reference to the collection of the Victory Tax and to the application of oil rationing.
May I emphasize that the withholding features of the Victory Tax in nowise changes or encroaches on the exempt statue of church organizations under Section 101 of the Internal Revenue Code, despite the fact that these organizations, as employers, along with other employers, are required to withhold the Victory Tax for those who receive their stipends from such organizations…By cooperating in the withholding process, the churches will be serving the convenience of those who thus derive their stipends while at the same time increasing the effectiveness of the government’s fight against inflation. Inflation, as you know, treats most harshly those individuals and institutions that depend on fixed incomes for their existence…I must dissent from the view that anything in these measures necessitated by the stern realities of war constitutes an encroachment of the State on the prerogatives of the Church. Ever mindful of the unique role the Church has played in building and maintaining the morale that is our strength, I confidently believe that efforts now being made will lead to a solution of the problem of those churches which are suffering undue hardship through the application of wartime measures.”
Light wrinkling, faint toning along edges and mailing folds, and an office stamp at the top right corner, otherwise fine condition.
With America now full entrenched in World War II combat operations in 1943, FDR was faced with a growing list of problems. Among them...how to bring the war to a speedy conclusion and, until then, how to financially subsidize the United States’ involvement. The former was one of the topics of the Casablanca Conference held in January 1943 and attended by the president, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and many French representatives to plan the European strategy of the Allies...the “absence in North Africa” FDR references in this letter. The latter was addressed, in part, via the “Victory Tax” referenced by FDR. Originally established to create tax-generated revenue to aid the war effort, it had evolved into the now-familiar income tax by the end of World War II.
In this letter to Bishop Lawrence, who was elected third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts in 1937 and created the first Diocesan Council. the president reveals his clear understanding of the separation of church and state, and the importance of bolstering morale. FDR explicitly states that his Victory Tax in no way “constitutes an encroachment of the State on the prerogatives of the Church,” reminding the Bishop that he is “ever mindful of the unique role the Church has played in building and maintaining the morale that is our strength.” Unique insight into the struggles of the president during wartime. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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