BENITO JUAREZ The 26th President of Mexico and one of the more important of the nation signs an 1849 proclamation honoring those who fought for Mexico at the Battle of Molino del Rey in 1847, signed in iron gall ink Document Signed: "Benito Juarez" as Governor of Oaxaca, 1 page, 10½x17½. Place: Oaxaca, Mexico. Date: August 8, 1849. In Spanish, not translated. Proclamation honoring officers and men of the Mexican National Guard who fought bravely for their country at the Battle of Molino del Rey, September 8, 1847. Benito Juarez had been elected Governor of Oaxaca in 1847. After being exiled in 1848 after the Mexican War, Santa Anna returned as President in 1853 and sent Juarez into exile. In 1855, Juarez returned, joined Alvarez in a revolution against Santa Anna, who was overthrown and once again, sent into exile. As Alvarez's Minister of Justice, Juarez in 1855 wrote "Ley Juarez", the law abolishing special courts and reducing the power of the army and the church. In 1858, Juarez proclaimed himself de jure President of Mexico, obtaining U.S. read more...

FRITZ SAUCKEL These incredibly rare documents are a handwritten, dated and signed account of Nazi Germany's forced labor and mass deportation operations by Germany's chief of slave labor recruitment. They were written by Sauckel for his lawyer during his trial before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremburg after World War II. They are important documentation of the 20th century's worst war and of some of the worst atrocities ever recorded in human history. They are also a typical example of the defense used by many defendants in the postwar Nuremberg trials: they were only following orders. This defense failed to sway Sauckel's tribunal; he was found guilty of war crimes and later hanged. Historically Important Autograph Manuscript signed twice (at top of first page and at bottom of last page): "Fritz Sauckel", in pencil, as war crimes defendant, 26 pages, 8x10½. IN GERMAN WITH 1945 ENGLISH TRANSLATION WITH FOOTNOTES AND COMMENTS. Nuremburg [Germany], 1945 July 15. This text was provided by Sauckel to his attorney as a means of fully describing the organization of the forced labor department, and Sauckel's duties and responsibilities. read more...

ON HIS FIRST FULL DAY AS PRIME MINISTER, CASTRO SIGNS A LAW SUSPENDING PAYMENT OF EXPENSES TO HIMSELF AND OTHER GOVERNMENT MINISTERS UNTIL THE GOALS OF THE REVOLUTION HAVE BEEN REACHED   FIDEL CASTRO and MANUEL URRUTIA. Important Typed DS: "Fidel Castro Ruz" as Prime Minister and "M Urrutia" as President, 1p, 10¾x14. El Palacio de la Presidencia, Havana, 1959 February 17. Countersigned by the Minister of the Treasury. In Spanish, not fully translated. Plus a cover page, on "Republic de Cuba/Presidencia" stationery, titled: "LAW No. 85/1959/that suspends the allocations for expenses of representation/and reimbursement for the Prime Minister and the Ministers of the/Government". Prime Minister Castro and President Urrutia sign this law which suspends expenses and reimbursements to government officials from March, 1959, "inasmuch as the Revolution was fought to eradicate unemployment and elevate the standard of one's life,...until those goals have been reached.... read more...

FIDEL CASTRO Three weeks after gaining power, Castro signs a typed document authorizing transfer of documents and data to one of his lieutenants. Important Typed DS: "Fidel Castro", 1 page, 8½x11. Fortaleza de La Cabaña, Havana 1959 January 30. In Spanish. "From: Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz/To: All the Ministries". In full: "It is authorized to Captain Dr. ANTONIO NUÑEZ JIMENEZ to remove collections and documents and data to him, necessary for plans of the REVOLUTION." Dr. ANTONIO NUÑEZ JIMENEZ (1923-1998) served under Che Guevera in the revolution which brought Castro to power. He later organized geographic expeditions to locations around the world including the North Pole, Antarctica, the Andes, Amazon, Galapagos Islands and Africa. FIDEL CASTRO marched into Havana on January 9, 1959 and became Cuba's new leader. Fulgencio Batista had fled Cuba on January 1, 1959, after his government was overthrown by an armed revolt. After the fall of Batista, the Constitution of Cuba of 1940 remained in force for a very short period. It was almost immediately replaced by the Basic Law of February 7, 1959. read more...

MOSES AUSTIN He signs a demand promissory note arranging for payment in 142½ pounds of lead. Framed to 10½x8½. Promissory Note signed: "M. Austin", 1 page, 7¼x5¼, affixed to a larger off-white sheet and framed to an overall size of 10½x8½.  Mine A Burton, 1802 February 11. In full: "Please pay Mr. Jos. Pratt One Hundred & forty two pounds & half of lead out of the Lead in your hands of mine and this order shall be your Discharge for the same."  Moses Austin (1761-1821), the father of Texas pioneer Stephen F. Austin, was known as "the Lead King" of southwestern Virginia, where he owned mines and production facilities to make buckshot and other lead products. His business failed, and in 1798 Austin and his family moved to what is now Missouri, then Spanish territory. (Austin had purchased the land from Spain, but when he signed this note it was actually in French territory under a secret Franco-Spanish treaty, soon to be acquired by the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803). Mine a read more...

CHAIM WEIZMANN and OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS Supporters of the Melchett Memorial Fund signed this letter to the editor of The Times in 1933 Typed Letter Signed: “Percy W. Greenaway”, “R. Blumenfeld”, “Mount Temple”, “G. Midlowsky”, “Ch. Higham”, “H. Austin”, “Ebbisham”, “H. C. Nathan”, "Barnett Janner”, “W. J. O'Donovan M.D. M.P.”, "C. Weizmann", “Ethel Snowden”, “Hugo Hirst”, “H. Newman” and one unidentified. Two pages. 7½x9¾. London, E. 1. Christian Street. Dated March 21, 1933. On imprinted letterhead to The Editor, The Times, E.C.. In full: "We should feel indebted if you will through your columns afford us the opportunity of informing the public and those of your readers who knew the late Lord Melchett and the many kind things he did during his life, that it is proposed to raise a Fund to establish a Memorial to him. read more...

FIDEL CASTRO and JUAN ORTA The Cuban dictator signed this 4¾x7 black and white photograph that includes a letter signed by his private secretary Photograph signed: "Fidel Castro/ Hab. Nov 19, 59" as Prime Minister. B/w, 4¾x7. Fine condition. Accompanied by TLS: "Juan Orta", Chief of the Prime Minister's Office, 1 page, 8½x10¾. On official letterhead. Havana, Cuba, 24 October, 1959 "Año de la Liberacion". To Eugenio Von Boeck, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Bolivia, Montevideo, Uruguay. In Spanish, loosely translated: "On behalf of the Prime Minister, Dr. Fidel Castro, I am pleased to send you the photograph which you amicably requested in your letter dated the 15th of the current month." Date stamp in lower right corner. Lightly creased. Binder holes in left margin. Otherwise, fine condition. The letter is dated 26 days before the signature on the photo and was presumably forwarded to Castro to accompany it. On January 1, 1959, read more...

JOSEPH STALIN, KLIMENT VOROSHILOV, and KIRILL MERETSKOV With war looming in 1938, Stalin signs a key document reorganizing a Red Army recently beset by his devastating purges! Extremely rare! Document signed (in Cyrillic alphabet): "S", "K. Voroshilov", "K. Meretskov", 3 pages, 7½x12. Moscow, 1938 July 14. Initialed by Stalin on p1, countersigned by Voroshilov and Meretskov (as Secretary) on p3. Headed: "Top Secret Copy No 1 Protocol No 12 of the meeting of the Chief Council of War of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army". In Cyrillic script, with accompanying English translation. Decisions of a meeting held that day, attended by Stalin, Voroshilov, [Foreign Minister Vyacheslav] Molotov, and by five high-ranking army generals: [Efim] Shchadenko, [Boris] Shaposhnikov, [Aleksandr] Loktionov, [Dimitrii] Pavlov, and [Kirill] Meretskov (who also signed the document as Secretary). The document provides detailed instructions for reorganizing Soviet military commands in the Kiev Special read more...

MUSSOLINI INSCRIBED A PHOTOGRAPH TO MARY PICKFORD!   BENITO MUSSOLINI. Large Photograph Mount inscribed and signed: "Alla Signora Mary Pikford/cordialmente/Roma 10 maggio 1926 Mussolini" in Italian. B/w, 15x22 overall, image 9½x15 (two surfaces). Photograph by V. Lavoisa, Roma. Water staining on "cordialmente" and "maggio" does not affect the inscription, just stains the surface it's written on. Mussolini is known to have been a fan of Mary Pickford which he has spelled "Pikford". According to Eileen Whitfield in Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood (1997), Pickford praised both Mussolini and Hitler. In the 1998 DVD Mary Pickford: A Life on Film, the filmmakers briefly mention Pickford's "momentary flirtation" with Mussolini's fascism. In 1923, Mussolini appeared in Samuel Goldwyn's film, The Eternal City. BENITO MUSSOLINI was Prime Minister of Italy from October 31, 1922 when he was asked by King Victor Emmanuel III to form a government, until July 25, 1943 when he was deposed. read more...