TLS signed “Ike,” three pages, 8 x 10.25, Allied Force Headquarters letterhead, December 9, 1942. Ike writes to Mamie, whom he addresses with a handwritten “Darling.” In part: “Lee has just told me that an officer is leaving here today or tomorrow to return to the States. I am just too weary to pick up a pen to write a full letter, so I hope you will forgive me if I dictate part of it. I have handed Lee a check which he is sending to you, possibly by the same officer, and which should reach you in a week or so…. We are still living on a rather ‘camping out’ basis, although we have a house that we will eventually put on quite a nice basis. It is a sprawly affair and gloomy, but it has one nice living room and my bedroom is quite comfortable…. For the moment, we have an army cook who does as well as he can out of the type of rations we get. I haven’t had fresh fowl or beef since coming to this country. All of us live mostly on mutton and canned ‘willie’ so far as the meat rations is concerned. Fruits, such as tangerines, oranges, dates, and figs, seem to be plentiful at this season…. Butch and Lee are both in fine fettle, but both have their troubles, because it is pretty hard to run a household here, as you can well imagine, and at the end of a long day I get rather impatient with little things that go wrong…. This has been a wearing tour of duty. As long ago as the first of August I knew that I was not to be in England long—at least that I was to take a good long healthy trip away from the place. Since the whole thing was highly secret, it was course difficult for me to write to you often and avoid telling you things that I couldn’t put into a letter…. Through friends in the War Department, you would be the first to know if I should take seriously ill or have any accident befall me…. The first interest of everyone is war, and that inevitably brings the conversation around to business things…. This noon I have to go to luncheon with one of the prominent Frenchmen. I have been absolutely brutal, both in London and in this place, in declining invitations….” Ike concludes in his own hand: “Well—not so much more to say except that I’d like to see you this very minute. And my best to all the family members—and remember, I love you—always.” After signing, he adds and additional postscript, which he signs “D”: “the written part of this letter is not nearly what it might be—but as usual I’m a slave to ‘time’—Loads of love.” A few mild wrinkles, otherwise very fine, clean condition. Auction LOA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
