Impressive printed DS as president, one page on heavy stock, 14 x 21, May 8, 1945. A decorative calligraphic proclamation, issued the day following the German surrender, of a day of prayer to be celebrated on May 13, 1945. The text reads, in full: “The Allied Armies, through sacrifice and devotion and with God’s help, have wrung from Germany a final and unconditional surrender. The Western World has been freed of the evil forces which for five years and longer have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions upon millions of free-born men. They have violated their churches, destroyed their homes, corrupted their children, and murdered their loved ones. Our Armies of Liberation have restored freedom to these suffering people, whose spirit and will the oppressors could never enslave. Much remains to be done. The victory won in the West must now be won in the East. The whole world must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been freed. United the peace-loving nations have demonstrated in the West that their arms are stronger by far than the might of the dictators or the tyranny of military cliques that once called us soft and weak. The power of our peoples to defend themselves against all enemies will be proved in the Pacific war as it has been proved in Europe. For the triumph of spirit and of arms which we have won, and for its promise to the peoples everywhere who join us in the love of freedom, it is fitting that we, as a nation, give thanks to Almighty God, Who has strengthened us and given us the victory. Now, therefore, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, do hereby appoint Sunday, May 13, 1945, to be a day of prayer. I call upon the people of the United States, whatever their faith, to unite in offering joyful thanks to God for the victory we have won and to pray that He will support us to the end of our present struggle and guide us into the ways of peace. I also call upon my countrymen to dedicate this day of prayer to the memory of those who have given their lives to make possible our victory. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed.” The document bears a red, white, and blue grosgrain ribbon at lower right and is framed to an overall size of 16 x 23. The painted wood frame, with its paper backing still intact, is clearly of the period and bears the framing label of I. M. Avery, Falls Church, Virginia (in proximity to Washington, D.C.). As examples of this document, when they infrequently surface, are sometimes “enhanced” with foil seals or similar later embellishments, the present undisturbed example provides an important clue to the correct appearance of this document. To our knowledge, in fact, this is the sole example of the handful of other known copies to have survived in this “sealed” state. The original recipient of the document, Elmer W. Moore, was a Secret Service agent for nearly four decades and served for a year on Truman’s personal White House detail. The document descended directly through Moore’s family and has never before been offered for sale. The ribbon and the signature bear the merest suggestion of having lost a shade of their original color, an observation made only in the interest of strictest accuracy. The signature is otherwise large, dark, and clear, the sheet immaculate, the overall appearance very fine. A 20th-century treasure of extraordinary historic interest and visual appeal! Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
