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[John F. Kennedy]. Presidential White House Hotline Travel Telephone....
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Sold on Dec 1, 2022 for:
$35,000.00
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Description
President Kennedy's White House Hotline Travel Telephone - Used at Bing Crosby's Palm Desert Home During His Visits in March and December 1962
[John F. Kennedy]. Presidential White House Hotline Travel
Telephone. This red, white and blue "White House Hotline"
telephone features a red receiver and cord, white base. The center
of the phone base has a blue disk with a black and white picture of
the White House with the words "White House" printed beneath. The
base is metal and has rubber pads placed on each corner. This phone
was installed at various locations to which President Kennedy
traveled and was connected directly to the White House switchboard
without dialing the phone. It was a true hotline to the White
House. This phone was installed in the master bedroom in Bing
Crosby's Ironwood Country Club home in Palm Desert, California, for
the exclusive use of President Kennedy, during his visits to
California in March and December 1962.It was at Bing Crosby's home on March 24th where JFK met Marilyn Monroe. It's interesting to note that Kennedy was first planning on staying at the home of Frank Sinatra, who was building up his Palm Springs compound for just such a trip, adding phone lines, cottages and a heliport. As the weekend approached, Bobby Kennedy became concerned about Sinatra's extensive links to organized crime. When fellow "Rat Pack" member (and Kennedy brother-in-law) Peter Lawford broke the news to Frank that JFK was staying at rival Bing Crosby's home, Sinatra never forgave Lawford. He reputedly cut him out of his role in the upcoming film, 4 for Texas, as well as his part in Robin and the 7 Hoods, and the role was in turn given to Bing Crosby!
The telephone is accompanied by a "Directory of Dial Code System Lines, The White House Office Switchboard" with handwritten notes in the margins by Kennedy's faithful personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln.
At this time, Kennedy was dealing with the aftermath of the greatest challenge of his Presidency - the Cuban Missile Crisis - ending on 28 October. Just days after his Palm Desert visit, on 22 December, the Nassau Agreement between the U.S. and the United Kingdom was concluded, resulting in the U.S. providing the U.K. with a supply of nuclear-capable Polaris missiles in return for leasing a submarine base near Glasgow.
Ownership of this phone passed to California State Senator Lawrence E. Walsh and it subsequently became part of the famed Robert L. White Kennedy collection. White began collecting Kennedy memorabilia when he wrote to Evelyn Lincoln requesting an autograph from the President. This started his relentless and impassioned pursuit in assembling what was to become the largest and most comprehensive private collection of Kennedy artifacts and documents in the world.
Condition: The white base of the phone has yellowed slightly with age and shows light scuffs; otherwise, Fine. A truly historic piece of Kennedy memorabilia. From the Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr. Collection
Auction Info
2022 December 1 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6267 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2022
1st
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 2
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 917
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