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"The words Mr Benét used to describe Americans apply equally well to him. He also was always moving on. When the war came he put aside his own work, and without recompense, devoted every ounce of his energy and genius in the service of his country. Millions of Americans have heard his great radio programs, They Burned the Books and Listen to the People, among others. Millions heard the Prayer for United Nations read by President Roosevelt on Flag Day and written for that occasion by Mr. Benét. As truly as any soldier on the battlefield, Stephen Vincent Benét gave his life for the country he loved.
"At the time of his recent tragic death Mr. Benét held a position in the esteem of his fellow writers and fellow Americans probably never before achieved by an American writer. There have been unprecedented tributes to his memory in newspapers, magazines and on the air - affectionate and deserved recognition accorded to a great man.
"At the outbreak of war Mr. Benét had completed the first book of what he had planned to be a narrative of several books. He laid aside his work on the later sections because he believed there were more important things for him to do. However, with the publication of Western Star, the publishers believe that Mr. Benét will make perhaps the greatest of all his great contributions to America in war or in peace.
"Countless thousands of persons have read and been brought up on Mr. Benét's other great narrative poem, John Brown's Body. Few poems in the world have had so great an influence. Western Star is for all those who love John Brown's Body and for all Americans 'who are always moving on,' whatever their race, creed, color or heritage."