TLS as president signed “RN,” one page, 7 x 10.5, White House letterhead, November 11, 1971. Letter to billionaire publisher Richard Mellon Scaife, in full: “The overwhelming success of the ‘Salute to the President Dinner’ in Pittsburgh and others like it in twenty cities across the nation clearly demonstrates the vitality and unity of the Republican Party. It not only establishes a sound financial base for our National Committee but also serves as an inspiration to Republicans everywhere. Nothing could be more important as we approach the elections of 1972 than to convey to all Americans the strength of our Republican convictions and the breadth of our accomplishments in this Administration. Your role in the November 9th dinner is a major step toward achieving this goal and has earned my deep admiration and gratitude. Through your efforts we will be able to mount an effective campaign which will surely have enormous impact on the future of the Republican Party and the nation we serve.” Affixed to a slightly larger cardstock mount and in very good to fine condition, with edge toning from prior display.
Accompanied by seven original photos of Scaife with others during Nixon campaign events, one of which shows Nixon holding hands with a group of people, and an original program for “The Illinois Dinner of the Salute to the President,” presented by the United Republican Fund of Illinois and the Republican National Finance Committee, held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago on November 9, 1971; Scaife is listed in the program as a representative from Pittsburgh.
Richard Mellon Scaife (1932–2014) was an American billionaire, a principal heir to the Mellon banking, oil, and aluminum fortune, and the owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. During his life, Scaife was known for his financial support of conservative public policy organizations over the past four decades. As early as 1968, Scaife was actively involved at the highest levels of the Nixon campaign, and he was appointed to lead the United Citizens for Nixon-Agnew during the fall of 1968. Scaife gained notoriety for evading weak campaign finance laws to donate $990,000 to the 1972 re-election campaign of President Nixon. Scaife was not charged with a crime, but about $45,000 went to a fund linked to the Watergate scandal. Scaife later said he was repulsed by the scandal and refused to speak with Nixon after 1973.
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