- 11
Kennedy, John F., as thirty-fifth President
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
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Description
- Kennedy, John F., as thirty-fifth President
- Typed letter draft signed with initials ("JK"), to William Randolph Hearst, Jr., defending his meeting with President Tito of Yugoslavia
- ink and paper
1 page (8 7/8 x 6 3/4 x 225 x 172 mm) on White House letterhead, Washington, 30 October 1963, heavily revised by Kennedy, with the final sentence crossed out and about 35 words added in his holograph, also with a stenographer's pencil notations.
Provenance
Christie's New York, 19 June 2007, lot 268 ("Property of a California Collector")
Condition
see cataloguing
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
"President Eisenhower was only doing what I was attempting to do—to advance the interests of the U.S." President Kennedy attracted much criticism for meeting with Yugoslavia's communist president, Josip Broz Tito, and hosting a luncheon in his honor on 17 October 1963. As he here writes, Kennedy "could not resist answering" at least one of those critics, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, Jr. Kennedy points out that his predecessor, "President Eisenhower did meet with Chairman Khrushchev and President Tito on both of their first visits to the United States during his administration." He then provides details on those visits, including that Ike hosted a dinner for the Russian leader and actually flew to New York to meet with Tito.
After crossing through the final typed sentence of the letter— "This is President Tito's first visit to the United States since I have been President"—pens in a new conclusion: "As for Tito, he was invited by President Eisenhower for a visit to Washington in 1957. Public outcry caused its cancellation. President Eisenhower was doing what I was attempting to do—to advance the interests of the U. S."