February 15, 1946.

‘

Mr. John Connelly, Sports Bditor,
Fitehburg Sentinel, |
Fitchburg, Mass.

Dear Mr. Connelly:

I am apologetic indeed. 40 you, sir, for not enswering your very
kind letter of the 50th ultimo sooner. I feel sincerely that you have
been a fine influence for the better things in our game of basketball
and you should be congratulated.

I have never felt that we si have a cgar for ‘pitied basket~
ball, I have always felt that we should have a high commissioner for all
collegiate sports and that basketball would be only one of those things
that needs the proteotion and the guiding influence of a highly intelligent
and forceful administration, I have felt that they needed a much stronger
man than I am for the job. This man, in my opinion, should be a Supreme
Court justice, a Douglas MacArthur, a J. Edgar Hoover, or a Tom Dewey. To
me, he would be ideal for the position beoause he is the only man that I
know of who has busted rackets. ,

_ I am not thinking of a proseoutor as the first iamibininsis for
this man. I am thinking of a man with college ideals and at the same time
a man with the love of the game in his heart, - the real benefit of educa-

_ tion through play as it fits into the scheme of education. This man should
be a lewyer because he should be able to write both State and Federal

. statutes so they would have the laws to prosecute aggressively the gangsters
and tinhorn gamblers who endeavor to chisel in all college sports.

Prenslyehnge subsidizing (olandestinely), ‘and overt professionalism
in college ath a should be the first prime consideration. I have
written enough for you to see my thought in guiding this position to the
very highest and most able man in the land, The position should pay from
fifty to seventy-five thousand dollars a year and the pay would come from
the colleges according to their student population.

Naturally, it is the job of the presidents of the colleges and univ-~
ersities to initiate this. And instead of divorcing this job from the
colleges, it would be an integral part and plan because the college presi-
dents would select the man. He would be reaponsible to them but not be
hampered in his administration in any way.

Then, and only then, would the fifteen-year-old American boy, the
idealist, live in a happy sphere because then he would look to his hero ~
a real hero in fact because he would be observing the laws as they are