Dear Mr. Justice Douglas,

I have read your letter of this date with profound personal sympathy for the sad circumstances under which you deem it inadvisable to attempt to continue participating in the work of the Supreme Court of the United States. I want you to know first of all of my warm admiration for your valiant effort to carry on the duties of your high office, despite your recent illness, with the same courage and independent will that have characterized your long service to your country.

In response to your decision to retire at the close of this day from regular active service as an Associate Justice, may I express on behalf of all our countrymen this nation's great gratitude for your more than 36 years as a Member of the Supreme Court. Your distinguished years of service are unequalled in all the history of the Court. Your contributions to the law both as scholar and jurist and your service under President Franklin D. Roosevelt as member and chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission constitute a lifetime of dedicated public service matched by few Americans.

It is my sincere hope that your health will soon be restored so that you can enjoy your well-deserved retirement and relax among the natural beauties you love and have helped to preserve. Future generations of citizens will continue to benefit from your firm devotion to the fundamental rights of individual freedom and privacy under the Constitution.
Please accept my respect and personal good wishes.
Sincerely,

GERALD R. FORD

[The Honorable William O. Douglas, Supreme Court of the United States]