HEADQUARTERS CAMP BRAGG
NORTH CAROLINA

Nov. 27, 1920.

His Excellency W. G. Bickett,
Raleigh,
N.C.

My dear Governor,

Enclosed herewith is copy of the letter about which I spoke yesterday. I think that you will thoroughly appreciate the importance of the establishment of the courses in animal husbandry, agriculture and dairy management in the Vocational Schools at this camp. The quickest method is to have the plant at Camp Lee, Va., transferred here. The War Plans Division in Washington will probably raise objections to this plan because they have allotted one such plant to each Corps Area. The plant for this Corps Area is Camp Pike, Ark. This argument can readily be met with the facts in hand; that Camp Lee is a failure, having only four students, I will guarantee hundreds if they will give me the plant, furthermore, I will guarantee to stimulate recruiting and to develop the greatest possible enthusiasm of this section of North Carolina for the army. In addition to all this the benefit to the command will be unbounded. There is nothing like contentment to increase the efficiency of military organizations.

I am quite sure the Secretary of War will thoroughly approve of this plan. If we can't have the whole plant then send us a portion of it. There will be no great expenditure of money, in fact, practically none for we have all of the stables that are needed for our stock to begin business at once. We have ample lumber and other material at this post to make all alterations to the existing buildings for the accomodation of stock. The work can be done by the students who will learn to do their own building when they get back to their small farms where it is impossible for them to hire carpenters at $8.00 per day. It may be necessary to buy a little chicken wire and a little hog tight fence, although I believe that I can salvage considerable of this material right on the reservation. If they will send me the cows, chickens, hogs and sheep I will guarantee operations at once.

If they won't give me milk pans and milk buckets I will use G. I. buckets issued by the Quartermaster. I refuse positively to be defeated in this plan because I appreciate the necessity for such a plant on this post. What I want is quick action in order that we can satisfy the demands of the present garrison. I have instilled in the garrison a great enthusiasm for the possibilities of this post and I want to meet the demands of that enthusiasm before it grows cold.

I trust that you will invite the Secretary of War to come to Camp Bragg and look over the situation. Nothing would please me more than to have 24 hours with him at this post. I am sure that he will see the matter from my point of view.

I would suggest that you do not use the letter which I have sent you but that you make notes from it and use them in order to prevent any possibility of some red tape official rapping my knuckles for helping the service in channels other then the regular military ones. Permit me to thank you for the very great interest that you display in Camp Bragg and the service in general and for your kind offer to speak to the Secretary of War in regard to the matter above mentioned.

I trust it will be my great pleasure to have you visit this camp to see for yourself what the army is trying to do for this state of North Carolina.

With very great personal regards,

Sincerely yours,

A. J. BOWLEY,
Colonel, 5th Field Artillery.

AJB-j.