aurora-7
Airman
I found this on a site providing WWII research info. It's a memo from Admiral Ernest King in 1941, ordering his commanders to discourage the sending of Christmas cards.
Letter content:
CINC LANT FILE UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET
A2-ll/A6-5(l)
FF13(1)/(2613) U.S.S. AUGUSTA, (FLAGSHIP)
Care Postmaster, New York, N.Y.,
November 18,1941.
ATLANTIC FLEET MEMORANDUM 40M-41
From: Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet.
To: ATLANTIC FLEET
Subject: Christmas cards.
1. In the current circumstances, the Commander in Chief does not look with favor on the exchange of Christmas cards between groups of individuals, ships, or units of the Atlantic Fleet.
2. In order to avoid the increase in volume of mail, the attendant loss of time, and the trouble and expense, commanding officers are directed to discourage the practice, and to suggest that the Christmas spirit can be manifested to better advantage by expending the money and energy in support of charitable organizations or of individuals who are in need.
E. J. KING.
DISTRIBUTION:
(Atlantic List) List I, Case 2, A, M, X.
(Pacific List) Al (For Type Cdrs.).
SPECIAL: CinCAF (10), EN1-EN11, EN22, ND1-ND15, NY1-NY7.
G. L. RUSSELL,
Flag Secretary.
Ok, so he is suggesting about doing something for charities but expecting personnel NOT to exchange Christmas greetings with friends and family with cards? It was 1941 and there wasn't and form of social media like today and arranging phone calls was not an easy task for the day.
Admiral King is often commented on by historians as being gruff and a bit of a xenophobe. I remember seeing his daughter on a TV interview saying that even to the family he always seemed mad.
Direct Link:
Researcher@Large - 1941 US Navy CINCLANT Christmas Humbug
Letter content:
CINC LANT FILE UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET
A2-ll/A6-5(l)
FF13(1)/(2613) U.S.S. AUGUSTA, (FLAGSHIP)
Care Postmaster, New York, N.Y.,
November 18,1941.
ATLANTIC FLEET MEMORANDUM 40M-41
From: Commander in Chief, United States Atlantic Fleet.
To: ATLANTIC FLEET
Subject: Christmas cards.
1. In the current circumstances, the Commander in Chief does not look with favor on the exchange of Christmas cards between groups of individuals, ships, or units of the Atlantic Fleet.
2. In order to avoid the increase in volume of mail, the attendant loss of time, and the trouble and expense, commanding officers are directed to discourage the practice, and to suggest that the Christmas spirit can be manifested to better advantage by expending the money and energy in support of charitable organizations or of individuals who are in need.
E. J. KING.
DISTRIBUTION:
(Atlantic List) List I, Case 2, A, M, X.
(Pacific List) Al (For Type Cdrs.).
SPECIAL: CinCAF (10), EN1-EN11, EN22, ND1-ND15, NY1-NY7.
G. L. RUSSELL,
Flag Secretary.
Ok, so he is suggesting about doing something for charities but expecting personnel NOT to exchange Christmas greetings with friends and family with cards? It was 1941 and there wasn't and form of social media like today and arranging phone calls was not an easy task for the day.
Admiral King is often commented on by historians as being gruff and a bit of a xenophobe. I remember seeing his daughter on a TV interview saying that even to the family he always seemed mad.
Direct Link:
Researcher@Large - 1941 US Navy CINCLANT Christmas Humbug