General Headquarters
Supreme. Commander for the Allied Powers

Office of the Supreme Commander

14 November 1949

Dear Mr. Carlsmith:

I have read with great interest your letter of 29 October in which you describe the activities of �Operation Democracy" in Europe and your proposal to sponsor a similar undertaking in Japan.

Please be assured that projects of this kind have my unqualified approval and best wishes for success. It is my conviction that the re-establishment of international contacts, both official and non-official, can and undoubtedly will make a major contribution to the understanding and development of democratic processes in Japan. To this end, the many agencies in Japan which have had in the past or which now wish to establish international relationships or affiliations have been encouraged and assisted to the greatest extent practicable. As you probably are aware, Rotary Clubs have been revived in Japan during the Occupation and recently have re-affiliated with Rotary International.

It is peculiarly fitting that the Rotary Club of Hilo should sponsor such a project for Japan. The many splendid citizens of Japanese ancestry resident in the Territory of Hawaii are in an especially favorable position to understand and appreciate the problems which face Japan and to interpret these problems to their fellow citizens not only in Hawaii but on the mainland. It is my sincere hope that the project you propose to pioneer may be eminently successful and that it will be only the first of many Rotary efforts along the same line.

Sincerely,

(signed) Douglas MacArthur


Mr. Carl S. Carlsmith, Chairman
International Service Committee
Rotary Club of Hilo
P.O. Box 1642
Hilo, Hawaii, U.S.A.