TYPED LETTER ON THE SUBJECT OF WORLD PEACE SIGNED BY GENERAL WILLIAM W. MOMYER, U.S. AIR FORCE.

Momyer replies to a letter from Congressman Seymour Halpern asking for his views on how to achieve world peace. Momyer writes that because of his position and the current situation [i.e. the ongoing Vietnam War] it would be inappropriate for him to give his views on this subject. Nevertheless, "There is no question more pressing to all of us than peace. Having spent most of my adult life in the military, I feel very keenly the need for a strong military force as an essential ingredient in the pursuance and preservation of peace."

William Wallace Momyer [1916-2012] was a general officer and fighter pilot in the United States Air Force, Among his notable posts were those commanding the Air Training Command, the Seventh Air Force during the Vietnam War, and the Tactical Air Command. During his tour in Southeast Asia he was concurrently the deputy commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam for air operations. He was thus responsible for Operation Rolling Thunder, the air campaign against North Vietnam, which he carried out in the face of micromanagement from President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Momyer was viewed in the Air Force community as "A true expert in tactical air warfare.

The Queens, New York Republican Congressman Seymour Halpern (1913-1997) started his political career as a campaign aide to New York's powerful mayor Fiorella La Guardia and first served in New York's State Senate for 14 years before seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress. In Albany Halpern sponsored 279 bills that became law, including measures on schools, housing, civil rights, nutrition and mental health. A Liberal, he was something of an anomaly as the lone Republican representative from New York City, and generally garnered support from Labor Unions and endorsement from the Liberal Party. Yet he never even considered switching parties as he considered membership in the Republican Party a family tradition and commitment. While he found ample time for his private pursuits, including painting and collecting autographs, he took his legislative duties very seriously. Of these, he was proudest of his co-sponsorship of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and of the original 1965 Medicare legislation.