Aug 25, 1944[1]
Dear Bob[2] –
How is
everything with the HAAF?[3] I
can still remember what OCS was like so I can appreciate what you mean by
having a lot of things too sweat out. Is it still a race between you and
Wolfgang? Hope you can get out to Calif
to see the new relation on your 10-day delay en route (I guess you get me). I
have hopes of getting out there then – on business. I’m not sure, but there are
possibilities. After all I’m the dried fruit expert around here and I ought to
go out and see what cooks in that industry.
My post-war
ideas are based primarily on the observation that the country’s most
intelligent people graduate from college and then go to work for $125 or so a
month and gradually work up to 250-300, and generally that’s the top. The rest
of the people form unions and get about the same pay except for a few
aggressive ones who start out on a shoe string on their own business and they
often wind up with income from 5000-25000 per year. Instead of working for
others why don’t the college graduates go into business for themselves? If
they’re actually smarter they should have a proportionally better chance for
success.
While I was
in the wine business and more particularly while at the arsenal I got to
examine a few case histories of how people do get a good business going. All it
takes is just a little aggressiveness and one reasonably good idea.
We also
have one further advantage. There are six Richerts (plus about a dozen close
friends who always are willing to offer assistance) who have individual
characteristics. If each one had a separate business he could always depend on
inter-locking assistance from each of the others. That is also the fundamental
upon which the big businesses are based – reduce overhead by getting supporting
work done at cost.
For
example, if one man is an architect or contractor he offers his services for
next to nothing to someone else who needs a building! The savings is probably
10-20% of the cost of the building, which is a definite economic advantage in
competitive enterprise. Suppose Hubert had his print shop.[4]
Anyone else then would first support his business and secondly would get
special attention, special credit, or exceptional work. He could afford better
stationery, small advertising brochures, or other printed circulars, business
cards, etc. That’s only a small item, but that’s the nature of the
co-operation.
For
yourself I don’t know what you’re training is, but I’m sure there are a number
of private enterprises (I’m not against teaching if that’s what you're
interested in – I may wind up there myself some day. But it doesn’t pay real
money) which could be in with what Paul, Ted, Hubert, myself, Julius, Walt
Smith, and various friends of ours will be doing. Personally I was thinking
that maybe you should think of architecture and construction. Walt Smith would
be a good shyster[5]
assistant. In fact the only thing that keeps him from being a successful
contractor himself is a lack of “Push and go” and also a not – too – impressive
“Front”. He can handle the chisels but another type of man should handle the rotary
club.
Now if that
were your line – I am going to be in the wine business again I’m quite sure. I
undoubtedly could hand out leads as to who is planning what type of
construction, how to approach the man, and what kind of price he has in mind. Paul
with his technical friends the same way. And so on.
But that
part is all by potential. There are several types of businesses that are going
to make a good showing for the first several years after the war is over. Selling
and distributing is one. Import-export is another. There is going to be a huge
demand for anything and everything and almost no one in these fields is going
to go broke.
Fortunes
are going to be made in buying and selling the $100 billion of gov’t excess
property. The air corps in particular is going to have things with a very quick
resale value. Look at your present wardrobe. None of these things were
available to civilians for five years. Practically every sportsman in the
country is a potential customer for about $100-$250 worth of clothing and
equipment just like what you have and will get. And about 100-500 million
dollars worth of goods like that, plus a lot of QM goods will be sold to the
highest bidder. If you made your $4000 loan that the gov’t guarantees the GI’s
and bought intelligently you could clear a thousand dollars in a month’s time.
You could sell direct to Fresno ’s
sporting and department stores if you didn’t want to retail it. They’re doing
it today. Look in some of the Pike[6]
windows in San Antonio .
I can see them in Chicago
windows. Reject rubber life rafts are bringing better prices than the gov’t
pays for good ones. I’m going to take a flier at that business myself. After
you get your commission just stop in and gab with the “Redistribution and
Salvage Officer” at any air base to get a few ideas.
Those are
the get-rich-quick ones. Then there are several other industries that are going
to boom and grow, which take into account changes in the economic system. For
one thing co-operative enterprises (not the co-ops we have seen) is going to
grow in every field. As one example, if all the Richerts paid $5 per month each
they could retain a lawyer to take care of all their legal problems. Medicine
of course the same. And if about 50 families go together they could buy
groceries – 3 mo. supply in carload lots and save about 40%. The same with
clothes liquor, furniture or anything else. Community use of recreational
facilities (10 people buy a cabin on the lake instead of one) will increase. However,
co-operative possibilities requires more consideration than I’ll go into here –
I’ll take it up later. But I have earmarked $1000 of my loan to start Julius in
that if he’s interested. With guidance he should be able to develop it.
Well so
much for all that. As you say, it will be late 1945 before we can ever get into
any of it. But let your imagination run loose and you can think up a dozen
ideas. Remember – if the dumb ones can succeed can’t[7]
the intelligent ones should.
Walt[8]
[1]
Postmarked Aug 29, 1944. 3 pages all with “ILLINOIS ATHLETIC CLUB, CHICAGO”
letterhead.
[2]
Addressed to: A/C Robert B. Richert 19111319, 44-12-9B Sec K, HAAF Hondo , Texas
[3] Robert
is in Hondo , Texas
[4]The pronoun
“his” suggests that Hubert mentioned this before as a goal. I know he was involved with putting out The Daily Collegian at Fresno State
[5] I have
very high confidence in transcribing the word as “shyster”. The modern negative
denotation seems out of place in the context of the letter, but it is possible
that within the era it had an alternate meaning or usage. Also, the word’s
German etymology could have led to different usage within the Richert family.
[6]
Transcription is uncertain, but definitely an upper case “P”. In the context of
the sentence, probably a local department store name.
[7]
Transcription is uncertain, but looks like a contraction ending in “’t”. The
rest of the phrase is quite clear and the uncertain word is towards the end of
the page and slightly squeezed.
[8]
Preprinted Return Address: ILLINOIS
ATHLETIC CLUB, 112
S. Michigan Blvd. CHICAGO ,
ILL.
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