26 Apr 1939
John Griffin to Father / Arlington, VA

Dear Dad,

I believe you have a birthday coming up right away, and if this arrives on time it will have to catch the 5 p.m. plane today. I've been going to write for some time but I've been awful busy, and then procrastination too hasn't helped.

I do wish you a very happy birthday however, and many more of them. If I have things figured out correctly you should be 57. Am I right? Grandfather Griffin lived to be 85 didn't he? So at that rate you have a great many years to look forward to yet, and here is hoping that the years to come may be more free of worry and trouble than those which have passed.

Speaking of worry and trouble it seems that there is always something to keep us stirred up out here. No doubt you have read of the new reorganization, and consolidation of government bureaus back here. I think that it is a very good thing that has needed to be done for some time. It is questionable however, how many of us are going to are able to keep our jobs when it goes through. The idea is to consolidate and thus do away with a lot of jobs. I am going to start looking around however, so that if after the order becomes law (in 60 days) it does not look so good I will have something else lined up. It would have been much easier to find another job elsewhere though if I had been able to stay on the present job at least a year and get that experience.

I don't know what this is going to do to our proposed trip out home this summer, Dot was going to quit on the first of June and leave for home sometime after the 15th. Now however, I don't know whether she should quit with things as shaky for me as they are. Maybe things will straighten out by the time June rolls around.

That was really tough to be called for service on the Grand Jury right at your busy time of the year, It seems to me that the judicial process needs to be revised on a lot of points. They are working on it and no doubt before long will cleared up those inequalities. I will never have that to worry about that, As lawyers are exempt from service on a jury.

The last two days we have had the hottest weather in the U. S. Yesterday it was 93 and the day before 90. Today it has been almost as warm and the humidity so high you can hardly stand it, A brief forecast of what is in store for its this summer. I wish I could spend the summer out in the west too, and be away from all this hot wet weather.

I've got to quit and rush this over to the airport. Again happy birthday, and write to us often.

John

Back