JOHN A. VOLPE - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/12/1973 - HFSID 26750

JOHN VOLPE. TLS: "John" as U.S. Ambassador to Italy, 1p, 8x10½. Rome, Italy, 1973 October 12. On letterhead of "Embassy of the United States of America" to Mr. Walter H. Bieringer, Executive Vice President, Plymouth Rubber Company, Inc., Canton, Massachusetts. Begins: "Dear Walter". In full: "Thank you for your letter of October 4. I was very pleased to note your satisfaction with both the refugee arrangements in Rome and the activities of the officers responsible. My commercial staff has discussed your need for polyvinyl chloide resin with Ing. Zacchi of the Plastic Materials Department of Montecatini-Edison in Milan. Ing. Zacchi was quite prompt in stating that Italy is also suffering a shortage of polyvinyl chloride resin due to supply problems with basic hydrocarbons and chlorine and the insufficient capacity of PVC production facilities. Montecatini-Edison and other Italian producers cannot at present even satisfy domestic demand. While Ing. Zacchi could not state this directly, he implied however that Montecatini-Edison might be interested in export sales if the price was attractive. Domestic sales in Italy are currently under price controls. If you wish to explore this possibility, Ing. Zacchi suggested you contact Montecatini-Edison's sales organization in the United States: Dr. Renato Gasi, Director, Montedison Sales Corporation, 100 East 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10017. I hope this information will be helpful to you. Sincerely". Beneath his typed name, Volpe has written: "Regards/John". Two partial signatures. John Anthony Volpe (1908-1994) was Ambassador to Italy from 1973-1977. Volpe, the son of Italian immigrants, had started his own construction firm in 1930, and during WWII, he volunteered to serve as a stateside U.S. Navy Seabees training officer. Named Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Works in 1953, Volpe became the first Federal Highway Administrator in 1956. He served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1961-1963 and 1965-1969, during which time he was President of the National Governors Association (1967-1968). Before becoming Ambassador, Volpe was Nixon's Secretary of Transportation (1969-1973), serving in the Cabinet post during the time that Amtrak was created. Lightly creased with folds, not at signature. Date stamp and ink note (unknown hand) at upper margin. Fine condition.