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Harry S. Truman. Typed letter signed ("Harry S. Truman")....
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Description
Harry S. Truman. Typed letter signed ("Harry S. Truman"). 1 page, (8 x 10.5 inches), Washington, D.C., July 26, 1937, to William E. Hicks. Three holes from filing and removal from binding. Paperclip indentation at top edge.Senator Harry Truman, confident that Nazi radicals will not gain a foothold in the United States, writes, "I haven't any use for Hitler or Mussolini nor their agents in this country, but I don't think they have enough supporters in this country to elect a justice of the peace, let alone a Congressman."
An excellent example of pre-WWII Truman, frankly dismissing the influence of Axis power agents in America. He writes, in full:
"Dear Bill:
Appreciate yours of the Twenty-second, enclosing a picture of the Dutchman with his foreign uniform on.
Of course, all these agitators and maniacs can say and do what they want to do, both here and in Hyde Park in London, and they never get anywhere. It is when they commence to suppress them that things like the German dictatorship and the Italian dictatorship come out. As long as they can get it off their chests, it all comes out in talk.
I haven't any use for Hitler or Mussolini nor their agents in this country, but I don't think they have enough supporters in this country to elect a justice of the peace, let alone a Congressman.
Sincerely yours, Harry Truman."
As fascism began to rise in Europe in the 1930s, there was a marked rise in pro-Nazi rhetoric amongst certain small, but vocal groups in the United States. The most well-known was the German American Bund, a successor to Friends of New Germany, which established its headquarters in New York City with the goal of promoting a positive view of Nazi ideology. They were active from 1936 to 1941 organizing marches, rallies, and training camps to garner support. Unsurprisingly, they were harsh critics of Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration, and supported American isolation and Nazi appeasement. No doubt this group, or one with similar sentiments, was what Truman was referring to in the above letter. With his typical candid rhetoric, Truman dismisses their antics as "talk" with no chance of success.
Auction Info
2022 May 7 Treasures from the Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr. Collection Signature® Auction #6256 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2022
7th
Saturday
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