Lot 394

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Description:


JOHN G. ERHARDT (1889-1951) American Consul in Hamburg in the early 1930s and Consul in London under Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. During the war, he was in a high-level State Department position in Washington, where he was involved in the planning of the surrender of Germany and occupation of Germany and Austria. After the war, he served as de facto Ambassador to Austria and as political adviser to Gen. Mark Clark, who led the American occupation military forces in Austria. In 1950, he was promoted to Ambassador of South Africa under Truman. Offered here is an enormous archive of literally thousands of (mostly) letters and documents, with photographs, dispatches, and printed items retained by Erhardt during his decades-long career with the State Department. Included is personal and professional correspondence, his orders, event and dinner invitations, filled-out notebooks, as well as many classified documents from his service in post-war Austria. Spanning the period from his earliest postings in Winnipeg and Athens in the 1910's to his service in England, Austria, and South Africa, the grouping notably includes a 'restricted' access copy of a 'Austrian Military Government' document, which officially abolishes German control of Austria, bans the NSDAP and its subordinate organizations, and transfers control of the region to the military government. In addition to this correspondence, the archive includes at least a dozen bound albums, each containing tens to hundreds of letters and documents, as well as multiple photo albums, pamphlets, brochures, portraits, award documents, and countless more. Notable photographs within the grouping include an image of Erhardt with Mark Clark and other notable officials, an original photograph of Erhardt and other Allied advisors standing in the conference room at Hitler's 'Eagles Nest', and hundreds of other photographs of varying size. A truly massive grouping showing every aspect of a top diplomat's life, from golf and sailing outings to "consorting with the enemy" and secret messages concerning Soviet and Nazi German designs on the West. Three very large bins of paper, totaling at least 200 pounds of paper, bound records, and photographs.

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October 28, 2020 10:00 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000