President Roosevelt has written a foreword to an issue of pocket Bibles soon to be distributed by the War Department to all men of the armed forces who want them. Thus far, War Department officials said, 1,250,000 copies have been ordered. The testaments are to be issued in three types, one for each of the three major religious groups, Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish. The President’s foreword follows:
“As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the sacred book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength, and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.