Rare Autographs

Lot #26:

Franklin Roosevelt

LS as Governor of New York on Executive Chamber, Albany letterhead but written "At Warm Springs, Georgia May 12, 1932. This is a superb example of FDR's political acumen and strategic thinking It is asking his close friend and aide, Louis Howe, to plant in the press information that will refute the articles written by New York Herald Tribune columnist Walter Lippmann. He begins: 'MEMO FOR LOUIS" "Here is a rough draft of something that should be got out in such a way that it will really be carried by the papers. Put it in the form of an interview from somebody new, or in the form of a letter from somebody sufficiently prominent to have it printed - a letter perhaps to a westerner." He continues with 2 1/2 typed pages 11 x 8.5", refuting Lippmann's positions. It begins "My dear -¬You may have read some of the syndicated articles by a young man named Walter T Lipprnann, who is now associated with the leading Republican organ of the East - the[new York Herald Tribune. In these articles Lippmann tries, by q curious sort of misstatement of fact, to disseminate and explain away the fact that Governor Roosevelt is without doubt the popular choice of the Democratic party for the presidency. He furthermore deliberately hides the other simple fact that more Republicans would vote for Roosevelt this fall than for any other Democrat." He continues to politely skewer the columnist. "(he) might well be referred to as one of those who "has never been west of the Hudson River. '" ... 'His venom ... is based on .. the fact that many years ago Roosevelt declined to go long with some of Lippman's very silly and very destructive political plans." .... "Let me give you a very concrete example of one of his recent articles ... That of course is a deliberate attempt to deceive." He cites a number of other articles and counters them. His "suggested letter" ends with, "The American people are fair-minded in the long run and when they see a man who is supposed to write impartial articles go out of his way to attack viciously and untruthfully, they go out of their way to support the intended victim of these attacks." Below, FOR has penned in black ink "Try something like this! FOR". Reading this seems to put one inside the mind of one of the greatest politicians America has produced. A superb item for one interested in presidential political history.