Beschreibung:

PATTON, George S. Jr. Typed letter signed ("G S Patton Jr.") to Lt. Col. Charles R. Codman (Patton's former aide-de-camp) in Boston, Headquarters, 15th U.S. Army [in southern Germany], 1 November 1945. 1½ page, 4to, on two sheets of Patton's 15th Army stationery. PATTON'S PLAN TO "SPOONFEED" THE PRESS A long letter, outlining various responses to the storm of criticism in the press following some of Patton's remarks in September, particularly his 22 September news conference. Patton here tells Codman that he has been told Codman's return to duty "would be difficult if not impossible," and moreover "I believe you can do me more good where you are than over here." "Hap has collected a great deal of factual data covering the operations of the Third Army which I will send to you. It is noteworthy that every action for which I was criticized on 22 September, with the exception of my truthful but tactless remark about Democrats and Republicans, have since been adopted by the Military Government. [Patton refers to Eisenhower's modification of an early policy of denying all positions of authority in the civil government to anyone who had been associated with the Nazi Party, and to his own comment, widely reported in the news media, that members of the Nazi Party were not unlike members of the Democratic or Republican Parties in the U.S.]. The true reason for my relief is lack of intestinal fortitude on the part of the person we used to refer to as 'Divine Destiny' [almost certainly a reference to Dwight D. Eisenhower]. Referring to a journalist, Patton adds: "I have met Mr. Bill Cunningham only once and was rather impressed with his intelligence and honesty. However I trust nobody in that profession implicitly, but should you and Beatrice [Patton'e wife] believe it advisable, you could spoonfeed Mr. Cunningham -- if he is interested -- with some of the facts which you will glean from Hap's statements and from the [War] Diary. It is apparent to me that it would be very unseemly for me to appear as a personal detractor of anyone wearing the same cloth as myself. However, since the facts adduced are common knowledge and could have been sent by practically any correspondent had he possessed the intelligence to find them, a very pretty little offensive might be produced" Time for press stratagems to rehabilitate his tattered reputation was running out; less than two months after this letter, Patton was dead, after suffering fatal injuries in a road accident.