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LOT #42238 |
Starting Bid: $40,000
Harry S. Truman Typed Letter Signed...
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Description
President Truman on Firing General MacArthur: "There wasn't anything else for me to do under the circumstances and still remain President of the United States"
Harry S. Truman Typed Letter Signed ("Harry S.
Truman"). One page of a bifolium with White House letterhead, 6
7/8 x 8 7/8 inches; Washington D.C.; April 17, 1951. Includes
original White House transmittal cover.Addressed to Truman's friend, Sam Wear, U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, in full:
"Dear Sam:
I can't tell you how very much I appreciated yours of the twelfth, regarding the MacArthur incident. There wasn't anything else for me to do under the circumstances and still remain President of the United States.
We have had bushels of mail on the subject - some fifty thousand letters and eighteen thousand telegrams and it is running now, and has been ever since Wednesday, in our favor.
I think the Republicans are going to find themselves in a very embarrassing position before they get through.
Sincerely yours,
Harry S. Truman."
In 1951, President Truman and his advisors were preparing to engage North Korea and China in peace negotiations, in an attempt to resolve the ongoing Korean War conflict. General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the U.N. forces in Korea, issued an unauthorized statement containing a veiled threat to expand the war into China if the communist side refused to come to terms.
President Truman viewed the war as an opportunity to stop the spread of communism, while MacArthur saw the war as an opportunity to liberate the North from communist control by aggressive action. When MacArthur thwarted the President's attempt to negotiate a ceasefire and continued to support an expansion of the war, Truman felt the General had overstepped his authority.
On April 11, 1951-just six days prior to the date of this letter-President Truman relieved MacArthur of his command. His decision was justified, and constitutional, however Truman's popularity plummeted, and MacArthur ironically returned home to a hero's welcome. On April 20th, MacArthur made a stirring address before a joint session of Congress, during which he recalled the words of an old military ballad: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away..." He gradually retired to private life, retaining his five-star rank as General of the Army and active status.
Though controversial at the time, history has since vindicated Truman for his bold decision. Indeed, MacArthur historian Robert Smith has concluded that the headstrong general, "crudely, deliberately, and with complete understanding of what would ensue, undertook to sabotage Truman's effort, in March 1951, to open peace negotiations with the Chinese...[and that] no one not blinded by hero worship could overlook the arrogance and contempt with which MacArthur deliberately flouted Truman's directive."
Condition: Fine. Very lightly age-toned with a single horizontal fold at center.
References: Robert Smith, MacArthur in Korea: The Naked Emperor (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982), 155.
Provenance: Heritage Auctions, December 1, 2022, lot 47047.
Auction Info
2026 June 19 The John H. Freund Americana Collection Signature® Auction #6331 (go to Auction Home page)
Proxy Bidding Ends
June
19th
Friday
10:50 am CT
Auction Dates
June
19th
Friday
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11 Days
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Heritage Auctions - Dallas
2801 W. Airport Freeway
Dallas, TX 75261
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