MOSES AUSTIN and MOSES BATES Austin posts bond for his brother-in-law, Moses Bates with Sheriff (later US Senator) Henry Dodge Manuscript Document signed: "Moses Bates", "Moses Austin", 1 page, 7½x12½. Each has hand-drawn his seal to the right of his signature. Ste Genevieve, Missouri, 1812 April 5. Docketed on verso. In full: "Know all Men by these present that we Moses Bates and Moses Austin are held and formerly bound to H. Dodge Sheriff of the District of St. Genevieve in the kind sum of Eight hundred and forty Dollars lawful money of the United States to be paid to the said Dodge or his successor..The condition of the above obligation is such that a capias ad respondendum has Issued from the Court of Common Pleas for the District cop[ie]d at the suit of William C. Carr and Henry Elliott administrator of Earon Elliott deceased on which said suit bail is required for the sum of four hundred and Twenty Dollars and the said Dodge has arrested the said Moses Bates in his capacity as sheriff of the said Bates should be cast in the said suit he will pay 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...

JOSEPH STALIN His very rare signature on an autograph note to Defense Commissar Voroshilov on a 1936 report concerning a new military technology! Rare ANS: "J. Stalin" in Russian in light green pencil at upper left of first page of Typed DS by two officials, 2 pages, 8¼x11½. U.S.S.R., 1936 January 13. Headed: "Report". Stalin has written, in full: "To Comrade Voroshilov/What does this mean?" The report (not translated) concerns the discovery of an infrared detector with military applications. Untranslated notes in red and blue pencil at top of first page. JOSEPH STALIN (1879-1953) was General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party from 1922-1953. After Lenin's death in 1924, he eliminated his opposition and established himself as dictator. Stalin's "Great Purge" from 1936-1938 rid the Communist Party of all the people who had brought him to power. Soviet Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov estimated that more than 1.2 million party members (more than half the party) read more...

JOHANN VON GOETHE While working on the second part of Faust, the author praised an associate for taking care of his property with this handwritten and signed letter Autograph Letter Signed: "JW Goethe", 1p, 8x9¾. Weimar, 1830 September 25. In German, with translation. To an unnamed associate in nearby Jena, Germany. In full: "The duty that you, my esteemed person, currently superintend so successful is of such value for the properties transferred to my care in Jena that I have, in any case, the authority to support you out of supervisory funds. Besides the present salary, you will therefore receive twenty-five Saxonian Thaler for which you only need write me a simple receipt, without indication of the purpose. Use them with assurance and report to me further from time to time. With esteem and trust". At the time of this letter, Goethe (1749-1832) was immersed in the second part of the most profound and critically praised work of his literary career, the poetic masterpiece, Faust (Part I, 1808; Part II, 1832). 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...

AS CASTRO MOVES TO EMBRACE COMMUNISM, HE ACCEPTS THE RESIGNATION OF A FUTURE CRITIC UNWILLING TO FOLLOW THIS COURSE. FIDEL CASTRO and OSVALDO DORTICÓS. Document signed: "Fidel Castro" as Prime Minister, "Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado" as President, 1p, 8½x12¾. Havana, Cuba, 1960 January 22. In Spanish. Presidential Decree No. 2358, accepting the resignation of Dr. Julio Garceran de Vall y Souza, administrator of laws for the Supreme Justice Court. Also signed by the Minister of Justice. Impressed with official seals of office over each signature. On January 1, 1959, Cuban President Fulgencio Batista fled the country, and FIDEL CASTRO, who had led a guerrilla struggle against the former leader, took over as Premier. He would hold this title he until 1976, when he became President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. Although Castro's Marxist-Leninist principles and alignment with the former Soviet Union isolated Cuba in the Western Hemisphere and antagonized the United States, his regime has outlasted its former Soviet patron. 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...

JOSÉ MARTÍ One day before he announced the creation of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, Martí signed this historic, Spanish-language autograph letter arranging tuition payments for the daughters of a friend and ideological rival, Miguel Figueroa. Historic ALS: "José Martí", 1 page, 7½x10¼. [New York], 1892 February 13. In Spanish, translated. In full: "Señora [Mother] Zulueta. My Dear Madam: I had wanted to go myself to put in the hands of Madam Treasurer the tuition payments for the Figueroa girls, and to discharge in person the errand with which their father entrusted me. But I have not been able to recover yet from my illness, so I am mailing the checks to Madam Treasurer, and if I am on my feet by Monday - and my health is not compromised by my attendance at a public meeting tomorrow - I hope to have the pleasure of personally greeting you and the Figueroa girls, to whom I beg you to give the enclosed letter." On the eve of his announcing the organization of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, formed to gain Cuba's independence from Spain, Martí helps his friend and sometime ideological opponent, MIGUEL FIGUEROA (1851-1892). 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...