Raynors HCA 2014-11
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2014
EISENHOWER, Dwight David (1890-1969) was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe; he had responsibility for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first supreme commander of NATO. He was the last President to have been born in the 19th century. Typed Letter Signed “DE” as President of the United States, on “The White House” stationary, May 6, 1958, 2pp. quarto, addressed to Irving Geist of New York, who was awarded the Medal of Honor by Harry Truman, it reads in part: “...I am sure it is no news to you that I am engaged in an all-out effort to secure legislation under which the Defense Department may be organized to meet modern security requirements with maximum efficiency and minimum cost. In a number of instances I have detailed publicly my reasons for urging this action; I hope you believe these sound...present operations within the Department of Defense are similar to a corporate operation that would permit each important subordinate to report separarely and independently to the Board of Directors, bypassing the Chief Executive entirely. This, of course, would be completely unworkable; it could hardly be tolerated long, because tough competition with better organized units would soon produce a profit and loss statement that could spell disaster. As of today, the Defense Department must operate under a system, or lack of system, similiar to one that , as I say, would not be tolerated by a successful business corporation. All of us know that the competition faced by the Defense Department is the sternest in the world, that provided by the military might of the Soviet Union. The single objective of the Defense Department is the nation’s security; in this it must be successful....If this little comparison with corporate practices appeals to you as helpful in appreciating the crying need for Defense modernization, I hope that you, and others, will find it useful in awkening the public to the grave seriousness of this matter. I am sending this letter, or one nearly identical, to a number of my good friends in the business world...” Fine condition.
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