November 19th, 19U1.
Dear Nevlle,
j       I I enclose a copy of a letter which
v<U - /4 o Miss Haslett of the Ministry of Labour has
written to the Home Secretary.
The background of this letter is as
follows.    In September a young man named
Ordway, who is an undergraduate at Harvard,
came to see me with a very warm recommendation
from Hume Wrong of the Canadian Legation. He
put forward an idea that a group of under-
graduates, mainly from the eastern universities,
should be formed to go to Kngland to do
civilian defence work there, to work on dock
construction, or to do anything else that would
be useful; he also wished them to be able to
stay on there after the war and assist in the
work of reconstruction.   Ordway impressed both
Humg Wrong and me aa being a first-rate young
man, and we thought his idea worth pursuing not
only because of the #ood work which he might do,
but because of the excellent effect on Anglo-
American relations which such ideas might have
if put into practice.    I gave Cribbett of the
R.A.F. Delegation here a note about these
proposals, as he was Just going back to England
to discuss the whole question of man power. He
took this note with him, and has told me since
his return that a certain amount of work has
been done on it in London.    The Service Depart-
ments are supposed to be examining the possibility
of forming a non-skilled section of the Civilian
Technical Corps to take in these people, and
Markham/
Nevile Butler, Esq., C.V.O.,
Foreign Office,
London, 3.W. 1.
2
Markham at the Ministry of Labour is believed
to be investigating the possibility of their
employment in other spheres.   Progress of a
kind is thus being made, but it does not sees
to be going very fast.    Hiss Haslett saw these
papers when she was here, and wrote to the
Home Secretary, and also to 3ir Prank Tribe
in the Ministry of Labour, suggesting that they
should follow up the question.    She has also
put forward the idea that the proposals might
be brought into relation with the Anglo-American
personnel scheme referred to in Foreign Office
33s'?f' fa' despatch No, 727 (A7296/7296/45) of September
' 23rd.
I have written to Ordway from time to
time, telling him how things are going, and
Jack Wheeler Bennett is going to get in touch
with him when he next goes to Harvard.    But I am
afraid we have not been able to give him much
encouragement so far.   His ideas are, of course,
slightly half-baked, but I think nevertheless
there is a lot in them and that if we could get
them into effect fairly soon, before the
enthusiasm begins to cool, it would be all to
the good.   Conant has given a vague and general
blessing.
Yours ever.
(33D) tf. a. HAYTKR
CODE 5J<-0