Lot 163
  • 163

Kennedy, John F., thirty-fifth President

Estimate
3,500 - 5,000 USD
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Description

  • paper
Typed letter signed ("Jack Kennedy | U.S.N.R."), with a 2-line note, one page on Hyannisport stationery (10 3/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 267 x 183 mm), Hyannisport, Massachusetts, 6 October 1944, to Lt. Warren Hopwood in care of the H.M.C.S. Swift Current, soliciting a contribution to As We Remember Joe; traces of mucilage on the verso.

Condition

Typed letter signed ("Jack Kennedy | U.S.N.R."), with a 2-line note, one page on Hyannisport stationery (10 3/8 x 7 1/8 in.; 267 x 183 mm), Hyannisport, Massachusetts, 6 October 1944, to Lt. Warren Hopwood in care of the H.M.C.S. Swift Current, soliciting a contribution to As We Remember Joe; traces of mucilage on the verso.
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

Soliciting contributions to a volume to commemorate Kennedy's older brother, Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., a navy pilot who was killed in a freak aerial explosion on 12 August 1944. Kennedy strikes through the erroneous saluation ("Dear Jack") and jots in "Hop" (for Canadian naval Lt. Warren Hopwood. "For some time I have wanted to something to perpetuate Joe's memory among his immediate family and his close friends. I thought, perhaps, of getting together some essays, written by those who knew him well, which together with photographs could be placed in book form. It would be primarily as a gift for my mother and father and for anyone else who wished it." Kennedy suggests an essay of five hundred words about Hopwood's impressions of Joe's character or perhaps including an anecdote that illustrated some aspect of Joe's personality. Kennedy adds a post-script: "I know you are as busy as hell—but I hope you can work this in. Best of luck to you."

As We Remember Joe was published at the University Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1945 and contained twenty essays but none by Hopwood. In his foreword, Kennedy excuses those who might have contributed because they "are at this time fighting around the globe—or have, like Joe, died." It's not known what became of Lt. Hopwood but there is an annotation at the top of the page: "Hon: Please save for scrap book."