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John F. Kennedy

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:4,000.00 - 5,000.00 USD
John F. Kennedy

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Auction Date:2013 Aug 14 @ 18:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Kennedy’s unsigned handwritten notes on two off-white 4.25 x 7 lightly-lined sheets. Over 70 words in Kennedy’s hand, with complete transcriptions done by Evelyn Lincoln accompanying the piece. A sampling of the notes includes: “Mobilized resources however vast they may be.do [sic] not win wars—Barbara Ward Policy of the West,” “German armament; contingents no larger than brigade groups start at size of German force not to exceed 1/5 of all forces,” and “Says many communist in Italy are so because of domestic matters. Says one of the greatest difficulties of getting Italians to make war effort is that they do not feel that they are equal to other countries because of peace treaty.” A typed letter of provenance accompanies the notes and reads, “John F. Kennedy always kept a small, black notebook accessible so that he could jot down thoughts that came to him…After recording his thoughts he would tear out the page and keep it handy for future reference. The handwritten notes, which you now have in your possession, are two of those pages.” Archivally matted and framed with a portrait of Kennedy on the phone and jotting down some notes, with Lincoln’s transcripts affixed to reverse, along with the typed provenance, to an overall size of 24.75 x 17. In fine condition, with the writing on one page a couple shades light but still completely legible, and a couple trivial ink brushes to the second page.

Evelyn Lincoln, the devoted personal secretary who served Kennedy from the day he entered the Senate to the day he was assassinated, did far more than schedule the politician’s appointments, carrying out personal tasks, building relationships with his family, and joining the Kennedy delegation on dozens of historic trips, from Ireland to Germany, Tampa to Dallas. After his assassination, she was given his personal effects from the hospital, ordered to clean out the Oval Office, and charged with preparing the items for their ultimate destination: the presidential library in Boston. Along the way, she also kept hundreds of items for herself, including doodles from important meetings, drawings by his children, pens used to sign significant documents, and his diaries and journals—two pages of which we offer here. With a notable reference to British economist and Cambridge friend Barbara Ward’s Policy for the West, a book that greatly impacted Kennedy’s views on international politics, this item gives an extraordinary glimpse into the unedited thoughts of the future president. Oversized.