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Saturday, October 27th, 1956

President Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Washington, D.C.


Dear Mr. President:


Before you make your speeches in Texas it might help you to answer some criticisms if you read the enclosed newspaper clippings and an excerpt from the last letter from my neice, Mrs. Albert Keys, who with her husband and little daughter live on their farm in the drought-stricken area of west Texas, twelve miles from San Angelo.

“San Angelo and this part of the country is
“in a rather desperate condition. If it
“were not for Goodfellow Airforce Base San
“Angelo would be ruined. Even so quite a
“few merchants have gone broke or have no
“business. Most every one has been hurt -
“not just ‘ the poor, dumb farmers and ranchers. ‘
“We don’t blame the Republicans or any one,
“but with the aid of bank loans most are trying
“to hold on. Even if next year is a good one
“it will take a while to recover.

“Secretary Benson isn’t too popular in his
“administration of the farm problem hers.
“The government doesn’t owe the farmer anything
“no matter how critical his plight. However,
“when it was decided quite late that soil bank
“payments would be made for a percent of acreage
“retired, it was not carried out fairly. Most
“farmers around here had already dry-planted
“because the dead-line was near and they didn’t
“want to lose their acreage. Had they not planted
“they would have received $18.95 per acre. The
“ones who had already wasted expensive seed were
“offered only $6.00 per acre. Albert and many
“others wrote to representatives in Congress but
“they were unable to do anything. Some of the
“Farmers signed up but we didn’t.
“The small amount of help wouldn’t have been a drop
“in the bucket.

“I’ll probably just go fishing on election day.”

“V” is for your victory and God bless you!.

[Transcription by Samantha Moon.]