Lot #353

Douglas MacArthur Typed Letter Signed as Superintendent of West Point (1920)

Description

MacArthur, as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy, writes to the 'Dude Reporter,' a noted WW1 war correspondent

TLS, 5 x 7, United States Military Academy at West Point (Superintendent's Office) letterhead, March 15, 1920. Letter to journalist J. M. de Beaufort, in full: “I was very glad to receive your note of the 13th instant and to renew thereby the very pleasant acquaintance that formed at the beginning of the war. I would have been very glad indeed to have had you with me in France where I could have utilized to great advantage your special gifts. If I come to town during the next two weeks I shall avail myself of your very courteous invitation. Present my compliments to Madam deBeaufort.” In very good to fine condition, with trimmed edges and somewhat irregular toning.

J. M. de Beaufort was a war correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph and New York American, attached to the Belgian Army during World War I. De Beaufort described his wartime experiences in his 1917 book, Behind the German Veil: A Record of a Journalistic War Pilgrimage. De Beaufort, also known as Count de Beaufort, was quite an elusive figure. His real name was Uilenbroek and he was a Dutchman, thought to have been a deserter. He came to Chicago in 1909, married a steel magnate's daughter, and entered show business. By 1912 he was divorced and took up newspaper work; he became known as the ‘Dude Reporter.’

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Fine Autograph and Artifacts
• Dates: September 28, 2024 - October 16, 2024

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