Mormon has many things on his mind. The terrible war about which he writes is very clearly one of them. Concern for his son is another. And a third major concern is the records. He mentions the records as a source of help to Nephites who survive by deserting. Moroni must write something to help them. Mormon specifically announces that he will entrust the records to Moroni. Mormon knows that he is nearing the end of his life, one way or the other; and therefore, the time has come for a new record keeper. Moroni is the obvious candidate to fill the office, but it is not clear whether Mormon means to deliver all of the records or only the Book of Mormon plates. (Eventually, it turns out to be only the Book of Mormon plates and the small plates of Nephi.) But if this letter had been written early enough, Mormon could initially have planned to give Moroni charge over all of the records. Such a responsibility was the official record keeper’s traditional duty. Similarly, it is not clear whether Mormon’s command for Moroni to write “a few things” refers to the record Moroni actually produced or the broader record.