REAR ADMIRAL RICHARD E. BYRD - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 02/13/1932 - HFSID 87370

RICHARD E. BYRD
The famed polar explorer signs a letter to "Bim", asking if his friend had booked any lectures for March 12
Typed letter signed: "Dick", in black ink, 1 page, 8½x11. Boston, Massachusetts. February 13, 1932. In full: "My dear Bim: Have you got anything for me on March 12? I am not asking you to hold this open but if you have nothing for that date, I would like to know. I want to say again that I think Edmonds is a splendid man. Hastily yours". Post script: "Can you tell me under what auspices I am lecturing in Peru, Indiana, on March 1". On May 9, 1926, Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957) and Floyd Bennett became the first to fly over the North Pole. Both were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Scholars have raised questions about whether or not Byrd actually reached the North Pole but all have agreed Byrd thought he had reached the North Pole. In 1929, Byrd established the "Little America" Antarctica base and flew (indisputably) over the South Pole. He was promoted to Rear Admiral upon his return in 1930. On his Antarctic expeditions in the 1930s, Byrd discovered Marie Byrd Land and the Edsel Ford Mountains. Still exploring in his late 60s, he commanded the Operation High Jump (1946-1947) and Operation Deep Freeze (1955-1956) operations. JAMES B. POND ("Bim"), who had become the nation's premier lecture agent, had established his agency in New York in 1879. In addition to Byrd, his notable clients included Mark Twain, P.T. Barnum, Thomas Nast, James Whitcomb Riley, Henry Stanley and Booker T. Washington. Normal mailing folds. Hole in top left corner. Fine condition.