Oct 27th 1917 [My dear Mr. Hoover,] On Friday next I speak at Hartford on our individual duties in this war, and I shall include a strong appeal along the lines you indicate. Meanwhile I gladly write this for use by you as you choose. You are the commander, officially appointed to lead all of us in the vitally important task of making the wisest and most thrifty use of our national food supplies; and your fitness [2] for this leadership was established by your extraordinary work in Belgium. It is our duty and pleasure to give you our loyal support. [What you at the moment ask us to do is heartily to back up the immensely important movement for voluntary[struck: ly] food conservation in and by America. Without food for ourselves and our allies this war can not be won. We must prove the efficiency of our democracy [struck: by] both [inserted: by] increasing the amount of food stuffs we produce, and also by saving from our own supply the food it is necessary to furnish our allies. You have expert knowledge of what it is necessary for us to do [3] in order best to utilize our supplies, by saving those foods which can best be shipped abroad to our allies and to our own troops, and therefore by substituting for these foods, in our own daily use, the other foods which can not be shipped abroad. You have indicated clearly what are the foods which we should economize, and of what foods we should make freer use than hitherto. You ask us to make what is an utterly trivial sacrifices compared to the sacrifices made by the whole populations in the countries to [4] which we are allied, and made also by our sons and brothers who have gone abroad to risk everything, including life itself, for our honor and for the welfare of all mankind. We follow you loyally in all you do to promote the great purposes you have in view. Very faithfully yours Theodore Roosevelt