Opening Day Auction Closing May 9th
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/10/2015
Towards the end of his second term as president, Harry Truman was between a rock and a hard place. On one hand he was at the helm of the most powerful free nation on earth, a tough bulwark against the spread of Communism. The Iron Curtain had descended over half of Europe and war was in full swing in both Korea and French Indochina. In his own country Senator Joe McCarthy led a full court press against Reds embedded within the government both real and imagined. While Truman wasn't soft on Communism, he was astute enough to realize that the McCarthyite's were treading a dangerous path bordering on violating the rights of American citizens. The two pieces of correspondence in this lot shows the president attempting to address these violations of personal rights. The first is dated July 20, 1951 and is typewritten on Truman's White House stationery. This short note to the Secretary of the Treasury addresses the president's strong concern over turning over loyalty files of IRS employees to a congressional Committee. The 6 3/4 x 10 3/4 page is in fine condition with an age stain from a paperclip present on the top left of the sheet. Truman's initials "H.S.T" are penned in strong black ink. The second piece in this lot is the official 3 page reply denying the release of the IRS employee's files and is signed in full "Harry S Truman" on the third page in black pen along with Secretary of the Treasury John W Snyder who signed in blue. The three 8" x 10 1/2" pages are in fine condition with an age stain from a paperclip present on the top left of each sheet. An important cache of historical documents demonstrating President Truman's firm stand against the infringement of the rights of American citizens by their own government. Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA.