Stephen Smith's April 15 column, "FDR's Role: Did He Rescue Us or Did It Take a War" failed to mention or glossed over certain key events that would argue for war as the dominant factor in the recovery from the Depression and the subsequent post-war economic growth.

Smith did not mention the "Roosevelt Depression" of 1937-1938. This economic collapse occurred after four years of the New Deal. Industrial production reverted to the 1934 level, and unemployment spiked 35 percent to 19 percent of the work force. War drums in Europe probably played a significant role in the slow recovery started in late 1938.

Smith states "it's obvious, too, the post-war recovery was the result of FDR's policies." I believe it would take a pretty lame economy not to capitalize economically, given the situation presented the United States.

Post-war, the industrial production capacity of the United States was more than 50 percent of the total world capacity. This, coupled with the pent-up consumer demand following six years of the World War, were the stimuli leading to the economic growth experienced in the post-war United States.

Finally, the additional stimulus provided by the Truman Doctrine in 1947, leading to the implementation of the Marshall Plan in 1948, provided the framework for continued economic growth well into the 1950s.

Michael J. Keogh

Pinehurst