In 1860, 11-year-old Grace Bedell saw a picture of Abraham Lincoln and didn't like the way he looked. Grace wrote Lincoln a letter: “If you will let your whiskers1 grow ... you would look so much better for your face is thin.” Lincoln took Grace's advice. He grew a beard2.
Not every president takes a child's letter to heart3, as Lincoln did. Below are just a few of the thousands of letters kids have sent U.S. presidents over the years.
1. Don't Draft4 My Dad
In 1943, at the height of World War II (1939-1945), 10-year-old Carolyn Weatherhogg wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt:“I am sending in a suggestion, that is draft fathers alphabetically5.”
The government at the time was drafting, or ordering people to serve in the military. Carolyn hoped that because her father's last name began with W, he wouldn't be drafted for a long time, according to her proposal.
There was no return address on the letter, and no one knows what happened to Carolyn's father. Roosevelt did not reply.
Dear Mr． Roosevelt,
I am sending a suggestion, that is draft fathers alphabetically． I am ten years old, I live at 3800 Street, my phone number is 4－1226．
Carolyn Weatherhogg
2. Disaster Relief6
When Ronald Reagan was president (1981-1988), he believed that the government should not solve all of the nation's problems. But that didn't stop seventh grader Andy Smith of Irmo, S.C., from asking Reagan for “federal funds7 to hire a crew to clean up my room.”
“Today my mother declared my bedroom a disaster area,” Andy wrote. “I am prepared to provide the initial8 funds if you will [provide] matching funds for this project.”
In response, Reagan noted that Andy's mother was probably “fully justified9” in declaring the youngster's room a disaster area. But “this administration10 [believes that government] has done many things that could better be done by volunteers ... You are in an excellent position to launch another volunteer program to go along with the more than 3,000 already under way11 in our nation.” Andy never got the cash.
Andy Smith
400 London Pride Road
Irmo, South Carolina 29063
April 18, 1984
Dear Mr． President,
My name is Andy Smith． I am a seventh grade student at Irmo Middle School, in Irmo, South Carolina．
Today my mother declared my bedroom a disaster area, I would like to request federal funds to hire a crew to clean up my room． I am prepared to provide the initial funds if you will provide matching funds for this project．
I know you will be fair when you consider my request． I will be awaiting your reply．
Sincerely yours,
Andy Smith
3. Rock 'n' Roll Haircut
In the 1950s, Elvis Presley, a young singer from Memphis, Tenn., rocked the music world. In 1957, the U.S. Government had other plans for Presley—it drafted him into the U.S. army. That decision did not sit well with12 many of his fans. For example, three girls in Montana did not want the Army to give Presley the standard Army buzz haircut. They wrote a letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) hoping to stop the Army from cutting Presley's hair and sideburns13: “We think (it's) bad enough to send Elvis Presley in the Army, but if you cut his sideburns off we will just die!”
An army barber eventually gave Presley the military issue crew cut14.
Dear President Eisenhower,
My girlfriends and I are writing all the way from Montana, we think it＇s bad enough to send Elvis Presley in the army, but if you cut his sideburns off we will just die! You don＇t know how we feel about him, I really don＇t see why you have to send him in the army at all, but we beg you please please don＇t give him an Army buzz haircut, oh please please, ．．． we will just about die!
Presley
Presley
P－R－E－S－L－E－Y
Linda Kelly Sheery Bane Micky Mattson
1860年，11岁的格雷斯·比德尔见到一张林肯的照片，不喜欢他那副模样。格雷斯给林肯写了封信：“如果你把胡子留起来……会好看得多，因为你脸很瘦。”林肯接受了格雷斯的意见，留起了胡子。
并不是每个总统都像林肯一样把孩子的来信当回事。多年来，孩子们给美国总统写过成千上万封信，以下选登几封。
1 不要让我爸爸当兵
1943年，二战（1939-1945）正酣，10岁的卡罗琳·韦瑟霍格写信给富兰克林·罗斯福总统说：“我提个建议，就是按姓名字母顺序决定谁的爸爸先当兵。”
当时政府正在征兵，或者说命令大家服兵役。卡罗琳是这样想的：因为她父亲的姓是W开头，如果按她的提议，要过好长时间才会轮到她父亲当兵。
信封上没有回信地址，谁也不知道卡罗琳的父亲后来当兵了没有。罗斯福没有回信。
尊敬的罗斯福先生：
我提个建议，就是按姓名字母顺序决定谁的爸爸先当兵，谁的爸爸后当兵。我今年10岁，家住大街3800号，电话号码是4-1226。
卡罗琳·韦瑟霍格
2 救灾
罗纳德·里根出任美国总统期间（1981-1988），认为国家问题不应该全部由政府来解决。但是南卡罗来纳州厄莫市一个七年级学生安迪·史密斯还是向里根要“联邦基金雇一帮人打扫我的房间。”
“今天我母亲宣称我的卧室为灾区，”安迪在信中写道。“如果您愿为此项目提供配套资金，初始资金我来提供。”
里根在回信中说，安迪的妈妈称这个孩子的房间为灾区很可能“证据确凿”。不过“本政府[认为政府]做的很多事如果让志愿者去做可能会更好……现在全国已有3000多个志愿项目，你完全可以再开展一个新的志愿项目。”安迪从未得到那笔资金。
安迪·史密斯
伦敦·普赖德路400号
厄莫市，南卡罗来纳州 29063
1984年4月18日
尊敬的总统先生：
我叫安迪·史密斯，是南卡罗来纳州厄莫市厄莫中学七年级学生。
今天我母亲宣称我的卧室为灾区，我想请求总统下拨一笔联邦基金，雇佣一帮人打扫房间。如果您愿为此项目提供配套资金，初始资金我来提供。
想必您会妥善考虑我的请求。恭候复函。
致礼！
安迪·史密斯
3 摇滚发型
20世纪50年代，田纳西州孟菲斯市青年歌手埃尔维斯·普雷斯利声震乐坛。1957年，美国政府对普雷斯利另有安排——将他招募入伍。这一决定引起众多歌迷的不满。例如，蒙大拿州三位少女不想要部队给他剪那种典型的军人平头。她们致信德怀特·艾森豪威尔总统（任期1953-1961），希望制止部队给普雷斯利理发、修鬓角：“我们认为送埃尔维斯·普雷斯利去当兵这件事已经够糟糕了，如果你们再剪掉他的鬓角，我们就死定了！”
一名部队理发师最终还是给普雷斯利理了个军人式平头。
尊敬的艾森豪威尔总统：
我和姐妹们从遥远的蒙大拿给您写信，我们认为送埃尔维斯·普雷斯利去当兵这件事已经够糟糕了，如果你们再剪掉他的鬓角，我们就死定了！您不知道我们对他的感觉，我真不明白您为什么要送他去当兵，不过我们恳求您，非常非常诚恳地请求您不要给他理军人式平头，啊，行行好……我们都快没命了！
普雷斯利
普雷斯利
普-雷-斯-利
琳达·凯利
希里·贝恩
米奇·马特森
1. whisker n．（通常为复数）络腮胡子
2． beard n．（下巴上的）胡子
3． take sth． to heart 对某事介意
4． draft v． 征…入伍
5． alphabetically adv． 按字母顺序
6． relief n． 解除，减轻
7． federal funds 联邦基金
8． initial adj． 起初的，开始的
9． justified adj． 有证据的
10． administration n． （美）政府
11． under way adj． 在进行中
12． sit well with sb． 适合某人，受某人欢迎
13． sideburns n． 短连鬓胡子
14． crew cut 平头