Autographs

Foreign Statesmen & Political Leaders

Lot 194
Baldwin, Stanley (1867-1947). Conservative three-time British Prime Minister.

Autograph Letter Signed ("Stanley Baldwin"). One page, 4¾ x 7¼", London, May 22, 1922. On embossed House of Commons stationery. Mailing folds, minor toning, minor foxing. Good to very good condition.

Interesting note with content that suggests it was destined for the American Ambassador: "I gladly return yr card and feel that I cannot do better than send you a copy of the words of one of your most distinguished Presidents, expressing a sentiment which has animated so many of those great men who have succeeded John Adams at St. James's."
Estimated Value $100-150.

Lot 195
Batista, Fulgencio. Document Signed ("Batista"). Two pages, folio, Havana, December 21, 1955. Being a tariff decree, "Law No. 9". Countersigned by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Prime Minister. Wax seal and embossed stamps intact. Ragged edges as if torn from binding, some edge toning, signatures are strong and unimpaired. Very good condition.

By late 1955, Batista was facing protesters in the streets of Havana and student riots. On December 10, a popular student leader was killed by his police force and the funeral turned into a huge protest, with a nationwide five minute work stoppage.
Estimated Value $800-1,000.

Lot 196
Bormann, Martin (1900-1945?) German Nazi leader and Hitler's closest aide, he was responsible for administrative and financial matters at the highest level of the Reich, controlled access to Hitler and was an enthusiastic supporter of Nazi extermination programs. Bormann was in Hitler's bunker at the end of the War, then vanished but was convicted in absentia at Nürnburg. The most accepted theory about Bormann's disappearance is that he died during the Soviet assault on Berlin.

Typed Letter Signed ("M Bormann"). One page, recto and verso, large quarto, Munich, February 15, 1944. On "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei / Partei-Kanzlei" letterhead. To Heinrich Himmler (who has initialed in green pencil at recto center). Docketing stamps. File holes at left are somewhat ragged, one brushes against the upsweep of Bormann's signature; toning to edges.

Apparently Gauleiter Mutschmann, gauleiter for Saxony since 1925, has incurred Himmler's displeasure. "...Your information that Gauleiter Mutschmann does not know laws and commmands of the state I cannot accept without disagreement. I have to make it clear that Gauleiter Mutschmann always carries out all that I ask from him...I have no doubt that you will find a way to agree with him and that you will have an understanding..."
Estimated Value $750-850.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

Lot 197
Bormann, Martin. Typed Letter Signed ("M. Bormann"). One page, large quarto, Munich, August 1, 1942. On "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei / Partei-Kanzlei" letterhead. To Heinrich Himmler. Docketing stamps. Marked "Personal!" File holes at left are somewhat ragged, staple holes at upper left, staple and paper clip stain, toning to edges. Good to very good condition.

Seeking information and input from Himmler, Bormann sends "...a photocopy of a letter of 8.7.1942 with its enclosure from 1.7.1942." Given the levels of influence both men possessed and the "Personal!" nature of this letter, one wonders what the letter concerned and what the repercussions of the requested communication were.
Estimated Value $750-850.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

Lot 198
Brezhnev, Leonid Ilyich (1906-19882). Soviet statesman who simultaneously served as the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and president of the Supreme Soviet. After emerging as a chief leader in Soviet politics, the powerful politico created the "Brezhnev Doctrine," which effectively permitted the USSR to intervene in the domestic affairs of any Soviet bloc nation if Communist rule was threatened.

Signature ("L. Brezhnev"). As General Secretary of the Supreme Soviet. Signed greeting card, large octavo, n.p., November 7, 1979. To "Esteemed Vladimir Alexandrowitch." Signed in red ink on text page of card. Minor scuff to back of card, else fine.

Lenin exhorts the masses on the front of this greeting card and Brezhnev signs the patriotic text "...congratulations for the holiday of the Great October Socialist Revolution..."
Estimated Value $400-450.

Lot 199
Cambaceres, Jean Jacques (1753-1824) Napoleon's Second Consul and Archchancellor of the Empire. Also Minister of Justice and Duke of Parma.

Document Signed ("Cambaceres"). In French. As Minister of Justice. One page, small quarto, Paris, July 13, 1799. On official Republic letterhead. To the commissioner of the Executive Directory. Being a complaint about not receiving the Bulletin of Laws, number 28. Light foxing throughout, light toning to right edge, adhesive residue verso (no show through). Very good to fine.
Estimated Value $300-350.

Lot 200
Fouche, Joseph (1759-1820) French revolutionary and Minister of Police. Associated with Carnot and Robespierre.

Document Signed ("Fouche"). In French. As Minister of Police. One page, small quarto, Paris, October 21, 1800. On official Republic letterhead. To "Citoyen Prefet". Concerning surveillance and protection of a shipment of arms. Toning to left margin, transmittal folds. Very good.
Estimated Value $300-400.

Lot 201
Gladstone, William E (1809-1898) British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister (1868-74, 1880-85, 1886 and 1892-94).

Autograph Letter Signed ("WE Gladstone"). As Prime Minister. One page, octavo, London, August 1, 1883. On 10 Downing Street stationery. To Prince L. L. Bonaparte, "My dear Prince". One horizontal fold; minor surface soil, particularly at edges. Very good to fine condition.

Thanking the great linguist for a memo about his collections, "...as well as for the note which accompanied them".
Estimated Value $75-100.

Lot 202
Heydrich, Reinhard (1904-1942) German Nazi leader and Himmler's chief lieutenant. He ran the SS's espionage and surveillance arm and helped organize the Holocaust. After being named acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Heydrich was assassinated by the Czech resistance.

Autograph Letter Signed ("R. Heydrich"). One page, small quarto, Berlin, March 5, 1933. On "Hotel Savoy am Bahnhof Zoo" stationery. To Kurt Daluege as Minister of the Interior. Docketing stamp at upper center. File holes at left margin, four penciled notations around edges of text. Heydrich's "R" sits over the top of the stationery's bottom legend. Very good to fine.

Heydrich's dark, aggressive hand lends the tone to this seemingly innocuous message "Since Thursday I have tried without success to reach you. I have phoned approximately six times...I hope that in about 10 days there will be an opportunity for another personal visit." By 1933, Daluege and Himmler had risen to the upper ranks of the Nazi Party, and they developed a close association plotting 1934's Night of the Long Knives. During the War, Daluege was Heydrich's second in command and, after Himmler's assassination, he supervised the retaliatory destruction of Lidice.
Estimated Value $950-1,250.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

"...the Laws of the Reich..."

Lot 203
Himmler, Heinrich (1900-1945) German Nazi leader, after Hitler the most powerful man in the Third Reich. Head of the SS, Waffen-SS, Gestapo and Minister of the Interior. A rabid anti-semite with an almost mystical view of a fully "Arayanized" Greater German Reich, he viewed the Final Solution as a means to purify the world.

Typed Letter Signed ("H Himmler"). One page, large quarto, from the field, January 24, 1944. On "Der Reichsführer-SS letterhead. To "Lieber Parteigenosse Wahl!" One horizontal and one vertical fold, two file holes at left are ragged, one torn through with minor paper loss. Very good to fine.

An very intriguing letter with a blunt statement of Himmler's stand on "following orders." The content truly makes us wish we knew exactly which Party member was the recipient and the full context of the communication between "Wahl" and Himmler. "...I must stress that the comradeship that bound us in the years of the struggle and after the assumption of power has not changed. But it is my duty to worry about the laws of the Reich being followed and I believe that the old party members must be the example in this regard. Perhaps we could speak of the whole situation in person at the earliest opportunity."
Estimated Value $950-1,250.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

Lot 204
Himmler, Heinrich and Röhm, Ernst. Typed Document Signed ("H. Himmler" and "Röhm"). One page, recto and verso, small quarto, Munich, July 28, 1933. On "Reichsführung der Schutzstaffeln der N.S.D.A.P." letterhead. To the "Leadership of the SA" (Ernst Röhm). Being a request for the approval of two police appointments. Docketing stamps and Röhm's signature on verso. Ragged file holes at left, one area of staple rust at top left, assorted pencil markings, Röhm's red pencil signature is visible through the paper. Very good to fine.

Less than a year after this document passed between the head of the SS and the head of the SA, Himmler would steer Hitler into the Night of the Long Knives and the execution of Röhm. The simple bureaucratic transaction recorded on this page has deeper undertones, reflecting the tension between the SS and the SA, as Himmler asks for Röhm's consent for the appointment of two SS officers to the position of police chief (one in Wiesbaden and one in Bochum), while noting that the police chief in the largest neighboring city (Frankfurt a/M. and Dortmund) is an SA man.
Estimated Value $900-1,000.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

Lot 205
Kaltenbrunner, Ernst (1903-1946) Austrian lawyer, he joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and quickly became head of the Austrian SS. After the Anschluss, Kaltenbrunner was elected to the Reichstag and became minister of state security and police chief for Vienna. As deputy head of the Gestapo Kaltenbrunner impressed Himmler, who appointed him head of the RSHA after the assassination of Heydrich. As head of the RSHA, Kaltenbrunner had full responsibility for the deportation and extermination of Jews and, as the Allies closed in, ordered all remaining extermination camp prisoners be executed. Captured by Allied troops, he was tried at Nuremburg and hanged for crimes against humanity.

Typed Document Signed ("Kaltenbrunner"). One page, large quarto, Berlin, August 31, 1943. On "Der Chef der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD" letterhead. To Personell Chief von Herff. Being notification of a pending promotion. File holes at left are ragged, staple and water damage to top left corner, horizontal and vertical folds, toning, various pencil notations. Overall, very good condition.

Kaltebrunner's relentless attention to the horrific acts his RSHA participated in is illustrated in this letter. Writing to the chief of personnel, he emphasizes the need for a quick official promotion of Ernst Ehrlinger to the command of Einsatzgruppe B and urges von Herff to take care of the matter as soon as possible. Ensatzgruppe B, which Ehrlinger commanded from August 28, 1943 until April 1, 1944, was responsible for the murder of almost 150,000 civilians in Russia.
Estimated Value $300-400.
From the Institute of Documentation, Israel.

Lot 206
Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie de (1805-1894). Father of the Suez canal. Educated as a civil engineer, Lesseps began his career as a diplomat. Because of his association with viceroy Said Pasha of Egypt, he was granted a commission to build a canal to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez in 1854. The project was completed in 1869. Lesseps went on to head France's effort to construct the Panama Canal, but financial difficulties overset the project and the United States completed that endeavor.

Autograph Note Signed ("Ferd. de Lesseps"). In French. One page, octavo, n.p., n.d. Being a note granting admittance to a military parade on August 14 1859 (1869?). In black ink. Accompanied by a clipped portrait of de Lesseps from The Illustrated London News. The verso, with parade date and details ,appears to be in another hand. With one vertical and three horizontal folds, edges are rough with a few tears at center left edge, none of which affect the signature. Light soiling. Else, in very good to good condition.

The fanfare which accompanied de Lesseps' undertaking of the Suez Canal project was considerable and enhanced the reputation of an already respected diplomat, with de Lesseps collecting 100,000,000 francs from 20,000 mostly French investors in just over four years. Given de Lesseps renown, it is natural that he was an honored guest at a formal military parade and he is referred to in this note as the Chief of the Suez Canal project. The canal was opened in 1869, with the Empress Eugénie and numerous other dignitaries in attendance at the ceremonies.
Estimated Value $450-500.

Lot 207
Mussolini, Benito (1883-1945) "Il Duce" Fascist dictator of Italy from 1922-1943. Mussolini's aggressive nationalism and alliance with Hitler led Italy into World War II.

Signature ("Benito Mussolini"). One page, 5¼ x 2", Rome, November 15, 1927. Lot includes black and white portrait of Mussolini, circa 1927, which does show some silvering at the edges. The end of Mussolini's date inscription has smeared and there is minor soil around the edges, otherwise, very good condition.

A very nice lot -- a strong signature and the photographic image is quite striking.
Estimated Value $125-150.

Lot 208
Mussolini, Benito and Victor Emanuel III. Lot of ten Documents Signed ("Mussolini" and "Vittorio Emanuel"). In Italian. Dates from 1925-1928. A few items appear to be military related. Official stamps and pencil notations throughout, nicks where removed from binding. Overall, very good to fine.
Estimated Value $1,200-1,500.

Lot 209
Mussolini, Benito and Victor Emanuel III. Document Signed ("Mussolini" and "Vittorio Emanuel"). As Dictator and titular King of Italy, respectively. Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. Two pages, folio, Rome, February 28, 1935. Being a document concerned with military bureaucratic matters. Docketing stamps and signatures recto and verso. Some foxing, toning to edges, staple holes and stains from binding at far left edge. Very good condition.

Victor Emmanuel's acquiescence to Mussolini's authority was unconditional and, as a figurehead, he provided Mussolini with a facade of historic legitimacy.
Estimated Value $500-700.

Lot 210
Mussolini, Benito and Victor Emanuel III. Document Signed ("Mussolini and "Vittorio Emanuel"). Partially printed, accomplished in manuscript. One page, folio, Rome, February 6, 1927. Being approval of a promotion for one Pisciotta, Luigi. Docketed on verso. Various stamps and pencil notations recto. Chips from being removed from binding, minor toning to top edge, otherwise fine.
Estimated Value $300-400.