TLS as president, one page, 7 x 8.75, White House letterhead, July 25, 1951. Letter to Winton K. Sexton, a veteran of World War II who had been held as a POW by the Germans for 41 days before escaping. In part: "I was more than happy to have the letter from Monsignor Joseph McGeough. I am returning it to you because I am sure you will want to keep it. Margaret had a wonderful visit in Rome and nearly everywhere else she went, except she was too much in the limelight. I appreciate what you have to say about the big General from the Far East. Sometime or other I hope to accept that invitation but you know it is almost impossible for the President of the United States to go anywhere without causing a disturbance and I don't like that sort of thing." In fine condition, with some light creasing to the right side. Accompanied by a letter to Sexton by Joseph T. McGeough, thanking him for sending his book We Fought for Freedom.
In President Truman's letter, he evokes his historic diary entry from the day he decided to fire Gen. Douglas MacArthur, when he wrote that the 'Big General in the Far East must be recalled.' Following Pearl Harbor, the recipient of this letter, Winton K. Sexton joined the Army Air Force as a B-25 Bomber pilot and was shot down over Italy. He was held prisoner for 41 days by the Germans. 2nd Lieutenant Sexton escaped and for nine months was behind enemy lines in Italy. In 1948, he published We Fought for Freedom, recounting his experiences. The 1985 expanded edition, Back Roads to Freedom, features a photograph of President Truman holding a copy of the book.
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