MAJOR EDWARD V. "EDDIE" RICKENBACKER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 06/28/1968 - HFSID 29116
Price: $1,400.00
EDDIE RICKENBACKER
Eddie Rickenbacker sends a typed letter of thanks for the comments on
his book.
Typed Letter Signed: "Eddie Rickenbacker", 1¼p, 7¼x10½,
separate sheets. New York, 1968 June 28. On his personal letterhead to
Mr. Thomas J. Flynn, YNI, USNR, Editor, Daytona Beach Bearings, U.S. Naval
Reserve Training Center, Daytona Beach, Florida. Begins: "My dear
Tom". In full: "Thank you for your letter of June 28 and I am
grateful indeed for your words of praise and commendation concerning my
autobiography, which by the way, has sold over 250 thousand still going strong.
It was the best seller for the New York Times Book Review for many months.
Naturally, I am sorry that you were out of town during my limited stay in
Daytona Beach, but we did have a night of hurricane force, that didn't stop the
dinner party or the attendance. It was quite a revelation. I am enclosing a copy
of The New York Times Book review and also a copy of a letter that my friend
[Items not included.], General Mark Clark has sent out to several friends
of mine, and which has brought in excellent results. In fact, within the next 30
days, I hope to have my financing completed for every high school, junior high
school, junior college, college and university libraries in the United States,
plus the Boys' Clubs libraries of America, all free. This will give millions of
youngsters, boys and girls alike, an opportunity to read the book, and benefit
from my simple philosophy, common sense, faith in the Power above, and the need
for a lot of hard work in any facet of life. This opportunity I could not miss,
because the youngsters will be the leaders in a very few years, and they should
have the benefit of the observations of my 74 years of life out of the 78 that I
have lived, because they would not have it otherwise, due to the lack of funds,
and the problem would be the same with a great many members of their
families." EDWARD VERNON RICKENBACKER (1890-1973) had published the book
mentioned in this letter, Rickenbacker, An Autobiography, in 1967.
Rickenbacker's third and final book, published six years before his death in
1973, it offered reminiscences of WWI and WWII, Rickenbacker's early life and
his impact on modern commercial aviation. "Captain Eddie", America's "Ace of
Aces" with 26 victories in WWI, had previously detailed his exploits with
the 94th Aero Pursuit Squadron during WWI in Fighting the Flying Circus
(1919) and published Seven Came Through, the story of his ordeal after
being shot down in the Pacific during WWII, in 1943. Rickenbacker, who was
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his WWI service, organized
Rickenbacker Motor Co. after WWI. He served on the staff of Fokker Aircraft,
American Airways and North American Aviation and was President and General
Manager of Eastern Air Lines, 1938-1963. During WWWII, on an
inspection tour of air bases in the Pacific, Rickenbacker's plane was shot down.
He and six other survivors spent three weeks in lifeboats before being rescued
in November 1942. General MARK CLARK (1896-1984), whom Rickenbacker
mentions in this letter, was President Emeritus of The Citadel, having
served as the military's school President from 1953-1965, at the time of this
letter. Clark, who had served in the infantry in France during WWI, was named
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in the North African
Theater in 1942 and became Commanding General of the 5th Army in
Italy in 1943. In May 1945, he accepted the surrender of German forces in
Italy and Austria. In 1953, during the Korean Conflict, Clark was
Commander-in-Chief of the U.N. forces and signed the armistice that ended
the conflict. Lightly creased. Staple holes at upper left corners, 2 file holes
at upper blank margin. Pinhead-stain at lower right corner of first page.
Overall, fine condition.
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