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197

Winston Churchill

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:2,000.00 - 4,000.00 USD
Winston Churchill

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Auction Date:2012 May 16 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : 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
Unsigned hand-notated typescript, three pages, 7.5 x 9.5, May 10, 1944. An original transcript of Churchill’s answer to a Parliamentary question by Colonel Lyons on the supply of material and munitions by England to the Soviet Union. The typescript bears 27 words in red ink in Churchill’s hand. The majority of Churchill’s corrections are on the first page, with Lyons’s original question affixed to the top. Churchill rewrites the opening statement which reads, “I am circuludating [sic] today as the votes,” with typescript continuing “in the Official Report,” and Churchill then adding, “A full statement on the materials & munitions of war supplied to Russia by Great Britain & Empire Countries.” Churchill makes one other spelling and grammatical change on the second page. Accompanied by a typescript answer to a possible supplementary question on the dispatch of civil supplies accompanies the speech, as does a typescript "Statement for circulation in the official report in answer to Parliamentary question by Colonel Lyons" including a two-page list of military supplies to the USSR. The typescript was given by Churchill to Sir Peter Agnew, MP (1900–1990), who served in the Royal Navy. Agnew's copy of his letter of thanks to Churchill, also dated May 10, 1944, accompanies the typescript. In very good condition, with a staple to top left corner, scattered light toning and foxing, and a rusty paperclip mark to top of first page.

Written less than one month before the invasion of Normandy, a hand-notated transcript addressing Britain’s and America’s provision of supplies to the U.S.S.R. is rarely seen. Churchill’s compelling handwritten revisions to the text transform the original typed introduction from a vague deferral of Parliament’s question to a clear statement on “the materials and munitions of war supplied to Russia by Great Britain & Empire Countries.” This is a prime example of the Churchillian conviction and directness for which he is known. Changing the phrase “Many brave men have fallen into icy water” to “Many brave men have fallen in icy waters,” on page two, he moves the emphasis onto the fallen American Merchant Marines who lost their lives supplying the Russians. This gives us a unique glimpse at the skilled nuances of Churchill’s language. About a quarter of all British munitions came from the U.S. through the Lend/Lease program, mentioned by Churchill, which was a critical factor in the impending success of the Allies. Here he acknowledges that contribution with clarity and respect in this rare annotated transcript.
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