TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, August 28, 1935. Letter to Norman Hapgood, Esq., in full: "Many thanks for your notes. The Senate Resolution has been much modified and an actual reading of it shows that it takes away little Executive authority except the embargo on certain types of arms and munitions (the type to be determined by me) between now and next February. Discretion must, of course, remain in the Executive in the long run. Things do look serious in Europe but we have passed so many serious crises during the past few years that I still hope." In fine condition. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder. Three days after this letter, the Neutrality Act of 1935 was passed by Congress on August 31, 1935, and imposed a general embargo on trading in arms and war materials with all parties in a war. Roosevelt invoked the act after Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935, which prevented all arms and ammunition shipments to both countries. FDR letters boasting content presaging World War II and referencing important policies are both scarce and very desirable.
