Eisenhower, Dwight D.

Autograph draft telegram signed ("Dwight D. Eisenhower"), one page on ruled paper (9 1/2 x 7 3/4 in.; 242 x 192 mm, sight), in ink with several revisions, [n.p., 14 June 1953], to the Governor of Massachussets Christian Herter.



Together with: Typed letter signed ("Dwight D. Eisenhower"), 2 pages on White House letterhead (9 1/4 x 6 1/2 in.; 235 x 166 mm), but date-lined Newport, Rhode Island, 8 July 1960, to opera singer Lily Pons, thanking her for her interest in preserving the Belasco Theatre in Washington, as well as his interest in building a cultural center there suitable for opera, theatre, and ballet; envelope to Pons mounted on the back of the frame. Matted, glazed, and framed with the autograph draft and a photograph of Eisenhower in an Eastlake-style frame.

The tornado of 1953 that devastated the coast of Massachusetts. On 13 June Eisenhower flew to New England, to receive an honorary degree at Dartmouth. He then set out for Oyster Bay, New York, where he was to dedicate Theodore Roosevelt's home as a national shrine. The pilot of the Presidential plane brought the craft low enough for Eisenhower to see the havoc wrought by the tornados that had swept western Massachusetts five days before. Eisenhower drafted this cable to Christian A. Herter, later his Secretary of State, shortly after his bird's-eye view of the devastation left by the tornado: "Today I had a hasty glimpse of the storm damage in Worcester, Holden and Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. My deepest sympathies go to those who have lost loved ones in the disaster and all who have seen their homes wholly or partially destroyed." Nearly 100 had died in the storm, the worst in 75 years to roar across New England, and estimates of the homeless ranged from 8,000 to 10,000. Although Eisenhower had already designated the region as a disaster area, it is clear that he did not sense the full impact of the situation until viewing the devastated region. He concludes with these remarks on recovery efforts: "I know that local citizens, communities and the state government are doing all they can to alleviate suffering and to help in rehabilitation. I assure you that in this work the Federal government will continue to cooperate eagerly in every way it properly can."

The Lafayette Square Opera House was built in 1895 and was the main venue for opera, plays, and ballet in early 20th century Washington D.C. In 1906 it was bought by the Shuberts and David Belasco, and renamed the Belasco Theatre. By 1935 it was converted to a movie house, but was taken over by the federal government in 1940 as a warehouse and office space. It then served as a Stagedoor Canteen for the entertainment of servicemen until it was razed in 1964. The National Cultural Center was still in the stage of fund-raising in 1960, and it was only under Kennedy's administration that sufficient funds were raised, while President Johnson broke ground on the construction of what became the Kennedy Center.

Autograph documents signed by Eisenhower as President are rare, and this one, a poignant reminder of Eisenhower's introduction to the awesome responsibilities of civilian office and carefully signed with his full signature ("Dwight D Eisenhower"), is an exceptionally fine example.