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THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON January 12, 194-3' Dear Marriner: i think you might be interested in the attached memorandum. The ^resident sent it along to Wickard saying that he thought it contained some excellent suggestions and that he wanted to see Wickard and McNutt about it. it may have helped a bit in putting some backbone into Wickard where, i am informed, it is sadly needed. Anything you could do to increase the pressure would, i know, be most helpful. lours sincerely, Lanehiin uurrie Honorable Marriner £ccles, Uhairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Keserve System, Washington, D. u. '- ' cop y December 30, 19::. FOn TH£ Res increasing Food Pro-auction,,?. I think this is a subject that you amy wish to check up on, Mj own Impression is that food goals for 1943 have not been set sufficiently high.and that we are not doing enough to ensure that even these goals will be met, I do not think there is any danger of our people fO&ftg hungry• Failure to increase our food, production substantially, however, jeopardizes one of the most important elements in the Administration's war and post-war pl&ns — the feeding of foreign armies and foreign civilian populations ** because of the political c&pltsl that can be made out of the food shortages at honie* I have been told that England ha# been able to increase its food production by 50 percent with very little additional manpower* Some of the methods that h&ve been mentioned as possible w&ys to increase agricultural production are as follows! 1. The President jaisfht raise the g$*lj for most of the agri4> cultural program just as he earlier raised the goals for tin %ar Production program, 2, The Department of Agriculture M&gfefc be directed to present • new production program, and, in pursuance; of new over-all objectives, direct f;d to rrresent, if neceBssry, a *•>,' budget* 3* A large-scale effort should b% instituted IwitiltnijF to aid the most efficient farmers. This requires removal of all acreage allotments &nd other restrictions on production„ It al&o retires large scale shift of subsistence farmers into the ranks of far® workers, after prelinainar/ trainings Soiae fora of price is probably necessary• 4* Institute measures to bring into full production approximately one million farm operators who ftp* just belo¥# the two million most efficient farmers and who do not now produce enough to keep their labor fully employed* These measures would require s ler&je scele effort to aaJke available to these ffirmers se@d, fertilizer, machinery| livestock ana some additional land. Ret the President Increasing Food Production. Page 2 December 30}. 5# Make a more determined effort (a) to reduce g devoted to cotton and tobacco, (b) to remove the corn acre? f% allotment, and (c) feed more wheat to livestock. This latter mi&rht be done by instituting a, two-price system for wheat* We now have onfciMd$Mt years* supply of short staple cotton and abundant supplies of tobacco* Acreage devoted to tobacco is actually scheduled to increase next year. In general, etery effort should Vie made to convert benefit and parity payments into a new type of payment to increase vftr food production. 6. In addition to the training and transportation of subsistence farmers, organise a Warn I T / army along the lines of English experience. People from cities and townst particularly woman, could add not only in meeting the peak seasonal requirements but also the year-round requirements* This requires the complete meshing of the recruiting and replacement services of USES with the food production program. % Institute measures to ensure that truck f*imftri others on rich soil will convert production from non-essential crops like iceberg lettuce to essential crops• 8, Increase the facilities for processing ana drying foods and provide new collection and marketing facilities in small and diversified crop areas. This may necessitate the allocation of additional critics! materials by 9. The successful prosecution of an all out production drive requires action at the county level raor« responsive to national direction than at present exists* Locally elected co/nmitteemen, for example, cannot be expected to exert themselves to move underemployed farm labor out of their counties to areas of l&tor short- 10. In general, a reel effort should bm made to tske advantage of Farm Mobilisation Day, January IP, to present a comprehensive program of action rather tfeaa merely to exhort fa.rmers to proo.uce aore# In addition, a criticf.1 revisw of army and lenc-lcf:-.se food requirements s&^ht reveel unnecessarily lar^e demands. (Si.-ntd) Lauchiln Currie
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