Roswell, New Mexico August 15, 1942 TO: Special Service Division Bureau of Intelligence, Office of War Information Room 300, Library of Congress Annex Washington, D. C. FROM: Addie Mae Leigh Field Recreation Representative ODHWS, Region X During the week of August 10-15, I have heard the following rumors or statements regarding the total war effort. "Our air force don't know the score about real fightin'. Did you know that the gov'ment offered the RAF all these air bases around here - but they knowed better than to try to train here." (El Paso, August 10) "Almost every lieutenant at this air base has a young wife around here for us to take care of. We don't have any place for them to live and our cafes can't even take care of the servicemen's business. But these wives are all over the place and complainin' all the time. It sure does make it hard. (Alamagordo, N.M., August 11) "My business has doubled or tripled in the past six months, and I pay good wages, but I can't get help. It's not that the labor isn't here -- it is -- there are plenty of women here that know the laundry business -- but gettin' 'em to work is another thing. If the gov'ment don't hurry up and draft the women for labor we are goin' to be ruined." (Alamagordo, N.M., August 12) "That last plane crash was a freak wasn't it? -- no one killed but $350,000 went up into smoke plus them buildings that it hit. It's a wonder they don't have more accidents -- them planes don't even get the 25 hour check up anymore. They don't have enough planes to stop flyin' long enough to check 'em over." (Alamagordo, N.M., August 12) "This place is awful -- the army doesn't have enough equipment here to keep the men busy. They lay aroun' at the field all day and then when they come to town there is nothin' here. A couple of soldiers told me yesterday that they had had seven suicides out there since they had been here." (Alamagordo, N.M., August 13) "I got a job over at St. Stanton with the government, but I sure hate to leave Brock. He can't get any help around here anymore. The women's husbands you know have defense jobs now and they have enough money so the women don't have to work any more. My husband, he is workin' too, but there is need now for everybody to work. I passed my examination and they need me to work in the hospital at Fort Stanton - so I go next Monday." (Indian woman waitress - Bus stop at Ruidoso Junction, N.M.) -2- "Oh, I though you were with the Army too. There are so many new customers, I don't know any more. If the Army men don't bring their wives, then they marry while they are here. I have one customer who has been engaged three times this summer already to soldiers and her real boy friend is a civilian. "I don't know why the girls want to marry these men when they know they are goin' to be shipped out right away -- but I know some of 'em that's doin' it so the Army will pay em so much a month "cause they are a soldier's wife -- and then they get the insurance, too." (Roswell, August 14) Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.