Truman, Harry (1884-1972) 33rd President of the United States (1945-1953). Typed Letter Signed, on personal letterhead, one page, 10½ x 7¼ in., Independence, Missouri, November 21, 1961. To David J. Oestreicher, Chief of Bureau, United Press International, Kansas City, Missouri. With the original envelope addressed to Oestreicher bearing a printed franking signature. Matted with the a portrait of Truman and the famous picture of the mushroom cloud over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and framed to an overall size of 19¾ x 18¼ inches.
Truman responds to a request for his thoughts on the twentieth anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As would be expected of "Give'em Hell Harry," Truman feels no remorse for his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. "I appreciated very much yours of the 17th. I wish I could write you about the 20th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. I have very little to say about that except to say that the tears that have been shed on account of the atomic bomb should have been shed on the Pearl Harbor attack. All you have to do is to go to Pearl Harbor and stand on the upside down Battleship with the 2,000 youngsters beneath it and you can understand why I don't sympathize with the tear shedding of Hiroshim[a] and Nagasaki, because the dropping of those bombs is what ended the war."
Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000,
Sotheby's, Dec. 13, 1995. Brought $25,000,
U.S. Presidents
