ALS, three pages, 5.5 x 7.5, Sagamore Hill letterhead, August 12, 1917. Letter to Ralph Henry Van Deman, often called the ‘Father of American Military Intelligence,’ in part: “I know Roger…I am an old family friend; I vouch for him unhesitatingly. He is of Princeton, '13…I am very glad to learn that he is to be in the political branch of the intelligence service. Now, I feel that it would be of great benefit to him to have at least a month's training in Fort Meyer or some similar camp. He applied three times for Plattsburg and was turned down for underweight, but underweight is of no consequence for the Intelligence Department…I have heard your praises so enthusiastically rung as an officer who gets things done in short order for whatever he deems the good of the service requires!” In fine condition, with several intersecting folds. The US War Department’s Military Intelligence Section was created in May 1917—one month after the US entered into World War I—with Van Deman as its head. In addition to intelligence gathering, the organization was also tasked with preventing sabotage and subversion by enemy agents or German sympathizers on US soil. An exceptional letter with rarely seen espionage content. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
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