File
Cabarrus Co
Ex Bd

WAR DEPARTMENT
OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Local Board for the
County of Cabarrus, State
of North Carolina,
Concord, N.C. [stamped]

[LOCAL BOARD STAMP]

August 22, 1918.

Thos. B. McCargo, Jr., Captain Inf. U.S.
Assistant to the Adjutant General,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Sir:-

This office is in receipt of two anonymous letters forwarded through your office concerning registrants in this County; the same will have careful consideration. However, I wish to state that our office has been flooded with anonymous letters from parties in this County which were investigated up until less than two weeks ago and each and every report was found to be of a result of a family or neighborly ROW and nothing more or less than spite work to try to get someone into the army---who has, this Board believes, a just case for deferred classification. Other cases prove to be where the man was examined and physically disqualified for any military service whatever.

You will realize that this Board is handicap in getting information concerning the parties mentioned in these letters; If the man has not sufficient courage to sign his name. Some have been summoned before our Board with their neighbors and the matters investigated, and as stated above there was no cause for complaint. This practice had growned to such an extent until it had become a nuisance and we had it published in the papers that we would not in the future consider any anonymous letters written to this Board. That the parties who signed their names to the letters and simply requested that the same be treated in confidence, that we would do so and investigate all such cases. It seems to me if a man knows these cases he shoudl be willing to sign his name to his letter and, if requested by this Board, should be willing to make an affidavit supporting the contentions written in the letter. If the writer of the letter will not make an affidavit for the use of this Board in investigating these matters, when requested to do so, it is my opinion that his information is not worth very much.

You are advised that we reclassify a man just as soon as we can get sufficient facts to justify same and we do not hesitate to do it and will not hesitate to do it in the future.

Trusting that the above is satisfactory, I am,

Very truly yours,

G. A. Carver, Chairman

Copy to Hon. T. W. Bickett.