Washington, D.C., October 13, 1941. One-page typed letter on United States Senate stationery, signed by Harry S. Truman as a United States Senator from Missouri, to Martin A. Lewis, Jr.: "I am enclosing you a copy of my Drivers' License Bill which has passed the Senate three times and been held up in the House at each session of the Congress. I appreciated most highly the article on Lee as a Civil Engineer. I have Douglas Freeman's Life of Lee, and while he goes into some detail regarding Lee's career as an engineer, this article is a good one to have to go with it. Hope we can work out something on this safety business." Approximately 10 x 8 in. (254 x 203 mm) (sight). Creasing from when folded. In mat and unexamined out of frame.

An avid motorist, as a United States Senator, Harry Truman introduced a Drivers’ Licensing bill numerous times, first in December 1936, that required States to adopt uniform laws governing drivers’ licensing based on qualifications. While his bill was not adopted, as President he championed uniform highway safety standards, and from May 8-10, 1946 hosted the Highway Safety Conference, which included 2,000 participants including Federal, State, and local officials, as well as civic leaders, highway transportation and traffic technicians, and leaders of other national organizations. Results from this conference included the Action Program that collected and analyzed accident records, the adoption of Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Traffic Ordinances to cut confusion over road rules, provisions for education in schools, increased enforcement of traffic laws, improved highway design to eliminate hazards, the adoption of driver and motor vehicle licensing requirements, and an aggressive public information campaign. Another result was Truman's Executive Order 9775 that established the Federal Committee on Highway Safety, that included representatives from 13 Federal agencies, including the FBI, Departments of Agriculture, War, and the Interior; the Bureau of the Census; the Interstate Commerce Commission, and the Post Office Department. While traffic fatalities continued to climb over the following decades, beginning in the 1970s after increased government regulation over road design, traffic enforcement, and car safety standards, these numbers began to drop.