EDWARD R. STETTINIUS, JR. - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 08/24/1945 - HFSID 26514

EDWARD R. STETTINIUS, JR.
Written as U.S. representative to the United Nations talking about plans to travel to England where a month later he met with the ministers of Great Britain and the USSR to conclude WWII peace treaties.
Typed Letter signed: "E.R. Stettinius, Jr.", 1 page, 6¼x9¼. The White House, Washington, 1945 August 24. To Dr. Helen Dwight Reid, American Association of University Women, Washington, D.C. In full: "I had hoped to have the pleasure of a visit with you soon, but my plans now make it necessary for me to leave for England at an earlier date than I had expected and therefore, much to my regret, I will not be able to see you before in leave. I am planning to be back in Washington in October, however, and hope to be able to see you then." Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. was FDR's last Secretary of State (1944-1945). He was present at the United Nations' founding in San Francisco on June 26, 1945, and resigned his office the following day. President Truman had made clear to Stettinius that he wanted his own candidate, James F. Byrnes, to head the State Department, and offered him the position of U.S. representative to the United Nations which he accepted. In London in September, Byrnes and Stettinius met with the ministers of Great Britain and the USSR to conclude peace treaties with those countries that had aided Germany's aggression. There was a great deal of conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States over the latter's role in the occupation of Japan and little was accomplished. Frustrated with Truman's failure to use the U.N. as a means of resolving tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Stettinius resigned his position in June 1946. He was only 49 when he died in 1949. Founded in 1881, the American Association of University Women has been the nation's leading voice promoting education and equity for women and girls. Lightly creased. Folds, horizontal fold touches signature. Minor stains. Overall, fine condition.