TLS signed "Yours sincerely, Ian Fleming," one page both sides, 8 x 10, Kemsley House letterhead, October 13, 1949. Letter to journalist and spy Antony Terry at the British Press Camp in Dusseldorf, Germany, headed "Personal Circular Letter to Correspondents Affected by Devaluation of Sterling," in part: "I have been giving very careful consideration to the effect on correspondents of the devaluation of the pound sterling…It will be necessary to exercise the most stringent economies, particularly in cable tolls and entertainment expenses. It is also the duty of Kemsley Newspapers to support in any way practicable a measure which has been taken by the government in the national interest…I have recommended to the Chairman, and he has agreed, that the devaluation loss will be made good to correspondents as to 90%." In fine condition.
As foreign manager of the Kemsley newspaper group's Sunday Times, Fleming hired WWII hero Antony Terry to be posted abroad. He had experience and expertise in German culture from his youth and service in the war, making him an ideal man for the job in Berlin. Utilizing this legitimate news organization as a cover, Fleming also ran an intelligence outfit known as Mercury which used foreign correspondents to gather information in sensitive foreign zones. As a result of debts incurred during the war, Great Britain devalued the pound sterling by 30% in 1949, leading to a higher cost of living for those abroad; with this letter, Fleming assured his journalists that they would be compensated for the difference. A highly desirable letter from the career that later inspired the spy writer's world-famous stories.
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