Bush, George H. W.

2 autograph notes on cards lettered The President and with presidential seal, [Washington,] 19 September 1989 (2 pp) & 16 May 1991 (1 p) — typed letter on Vice Presidential letterhead, 1 p, [Washington,] 26 August 1988 — typed letter on The White House letterhead, 3 pp, 17 April 1991. Accompanied by 3 autograph notes and letters to Cramer signed by Barbara Bush ("Barbara"; "Bar"), all as First Lady, [Washington,] 19 September 1989 to 27 February 1992, totaling 8 pp on various stationery — 3 autograph notes and one typed letter to Cramer from others including Bob Dole, Joe Biden, and Christopher Cox, 1991–92, totaling 7 pp on various stationery. All of the letters save one accompanied by their original envelopes.

Accompanied by 3 autograph notes and letters to Cramer signed by Barbara Bush ("Barbara"; "Bar"), [Washington,] 19 September 1989 to 27 February 1992, totaling 8 pages on various stationery — 3 autograph notes and one typed letter to Cramer from others including Bob Dole, Joe Biden, and Christopher Cox, 1991–92, totaling 7 pages on various stationery. All of the letters save one accompanied by their original envelopes.
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What It Takes: President Bush passionately defends operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Richard Ben Cramer forged a permanent spot in the literature of the American presidency with his meticulous study of the 1988 presidential campaign, What It Takes: The Way to the White House (1992). The four letters here by George Bush span the period from the campaign trail to the high water mark of his presidential popularity.

The final letter of the sequence, 17 April 1991, is the most consequential, as Bush details how he evolved his Gulf War strategy against Saddam Hussein, who he calls "a Hitler, junior grade." "Along with focusing on the immorality of aggression, I did try to 'cast the matter as a struggle against Saddam Hussein.' As the outrage of the aggression set in, people began to properly identify Saddam Hussein as brutal and without moral claim. I can't document how this became a face-off with a bully, it just evolved. ..."