I'inute •
Mr. J. A. ORDv/AY, an undergraduate at
Harvard, came to see me to-day with a very
warm recommendation from 4 Mr. Hume Wrong of the
panadian^Tegation. ( Mr. Ordway makes an extremely
favourable impression;     he is obviously intel-
ligent and sincere^ and it seems to me there is
uch to be said for his ideas, which are as
ollows•
2. He is anxious to organize a group of young
Americans of college age who would go to England
to do any work in which they could be useful.
They would be prepared to do semi-skilled labour
such as dock-construction (in which they 4rc
trained before going to England); to work in
civilian defense; or to join the armed forces.
They would want to stay on in "England after the
war to assist in the work of reconstruction.
3. Their motives would be threefold:
firstly, to do the v/ork;   secondly, to arouse
in America the idea that there is something
practical that individual young men can do to
help;   and thirdly, to show the English that
there are people in America who feel that way
and to perpetuate into the post-war period the
existing co-operation.
4. As I told Mr. Ordway, his suggestions do
not really fit into any of the existing schemes
for recruiting American manpower, except insofar
as members of the group would want to join the
armed forces.   They would not be suitable for
the C.^T.C. or for the trained scientists which
the Supply Ministries require.   But I still
think the idea a very good one and that we should
telegraph about it to the F.O.   Apart from the
actual services they might be able to render,
the propaganda value would be considerable.
Their main source of recruitment would be at
Harvard and the other Eastern Universities;
and at Harvard in particular there is a good
deal of isolationist feeling among the under-
graduates.
5.1 asked Mr. Ordway how far he had got in
the way of organizing a group.   He said that in
the absence of any indication that their services
would be required" in England, it was not possible
to go very far, but he had been talking to a great
many people in Harvard and elsewhere and was sure
he could collect plenty of recruits in a short
time.   From what I have seen of Mr. Ordway I think
he is probably right.   He has been in touch with
President Conant, who encouraged him, and he also
proposes to write to Mr. "/inant with whom I
gather he has some connection. \,
/& Mr. Ordway
6. Mr. Ordway hoped that he could get an
early decision about this, the main reason being
that he and his friends are mostly of about the
draft age;    they will therefore be lost to us if
we cannot get something settled soon.
"7. I suggest that we should telegraph about
this to the P.O.. asking for permission to encourage
Mr. Ordv/ay and to assure him that if he" can arrange
with the U.S. authorities to collect a group to
come over, every effort will be made to utilize
their services to the full.
Mr. Ordv/ay's address is:
J. A. ORDV/AY, 23^-
Eliot, H 53,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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