TLS, one page, 8.5 x 11, October 19, 1939. Letter to Mr. Lander. In part: “You know, possibly, that a French couple, Mr. and Mrs. Griot, came to Mexico with my grandson. They both are very old friends of ours, friends from the time of youth. The war began when they were already in Mexico. Under the prevalent conditions they have no reason to risk the trip to Europe—they have no family. Mrs. Margaret Griot is a pedagogue with high capacities and a large experience…She is not a political person—our old friendship is purely personal. She would be glad to find an adequate job here as a music teacher, or teacher of French…Don’t you believe that she could find some satisfactory occupation among the American families in Mexico?” In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds (one vertical fold passing between first and last names in the signature), overall creases, a few small tears to right edge, and skipping to ink in the first letter of his signature. Trotsky is intentionally misleading in this letter, as both Margaret and her husband, Alfred Griot, under the surname ‘Rosmer,’ had become prominent leaders in the post-WWI Communist Party of France. This letter thus presents an interesting dichotomy, with Trotsky suppressing the truth of the same political proclivities that he spent a lifetime promoting. RR Auction COA.
