TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, August 25, 1945. Letter to Major George Fielding Eliot. In full: “I appreciated very much your good letter of the twenty-fourth, and I think you have given me a constructive viewpoint on the military policy of the United States. I value your opinions very highly and shall be pleased to hear from you at any time on the subject.” Staple and pencil notation to top left, and some scattered light toning and soiling, otherwise fine condition.
Eliot was an author, military analyst, former intelligence reserve officer, and a man whose blessing Truman courted. This letter was dispatched at a tumultuous time in American history—one that forced the US to drop two atomic bombs on Japanese cities. In his August 10, 1945, nationally syndicated news column, one day following the release of the second atomic bomb, Eliot wrote that the the use of the device had changed warfare forever. “If man can rise superior to the things he has created, if he can harness them to his service and keep the control of them from the hands of those of evil purpose among his kind, we may well be standing on the threshold of a true golden age of peaceful development. If he cannot this planet will vanish into darkness,” Eliot said. Although some critics have maintained that the bombings were fundamentally immoral, supporters, including Truman, maintained that they brought about a faster end to the war and, some say, were meant to intimidate the Soviet Union prior to the Cold War. Fascinating insight on military policy just two weeks after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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