TLS, one page, 8 x 10.5, State of New York letterhead, September 9, 1930. Roosevelt sends thanks for a gift and apologizes for his schedule. In part, “Thank you for sending me the delightful book of the Letters of Ebenezer Foote, and it makes me regret…we were unable to see the house, and incidentally, you and your family…That was a delightful time I had in Delhi [NY]. I was rather appalled the next morning to read that my speech, which had honestly not been intended to be political in any way, was translated by the New York newspapers into an attack on the President’s economic theories!” In fine condition, with a light shade of toning and a pencil notation of “Personal” to top right corner. After the stock market crash Hoover announced that while he would keep the Federal budget balanced, he would cut taxes and expand public works spending. At the same time he reiterated his view that while people must not suffer from hunger and cold, caring for them must be primarily a local and voluntary responsibility. Hoover became the scapegoat for the depression and was badly defeated in 1932 by Roosevelt. In the 1930's he became a powerful critic of the New Deal, warning against tendencies toward statism. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
