Typed memorandum, signed as president, one page, 7.25 x 10.5, White House letterhead, September 22, 1961. To Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the memo reads, in full: “In the present call-up of active reserve units by the Department of Defense, I believe civilian government personnel who have voluntarily participated in and obtained benefits from those programs should promptly report when their organizations are recalled, and should not be deferred unless absolutely essential to the national security in their present positions. The nation’s defense requires the reserve military strength now being placed on active duty. Service with America’s armed forces at this critical juncture is a duty with special priority and honor. The Federal Government and its employees must set an example in responding without stint of special consideration of any kind.” In fine condition, with pencil file notation to top left, faint show-through from an office stamp on reverse of bottom, and a couple small creases.
East-West tensions had reached their apex in 1961 as the Berlin Wall split the German city in half and Soviet leaders set a December deadline to exact a peace treaty. Desperate to avoid a war, Kennedy also saw West Berlin's security as a top priority. As the confrontation continued to grow out of control during the summer, JFK requested an increase in the Army's total authorized strength to approximately one million men, along with increase in the active duty strength of the Navy and the Air Force.
For those reservists who had benefited from the program in the past, now would be the time for them to repay their debt—something the president wanted all reservists, including federal employees, to realize. “Civilian government personnel who have voluntarily participated in and obtained benefits from those programs should promptly report when their organizations are recalled...The Federal Government and its employees must set an example in responding without stint of special consideration of any kind,” he notes in this pointed message to McNamara. In the end, East German forces blinked, ending the crisis, avoiding a war, and allowing the military personnel to resume their civilian lives. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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