Description:


(1913 - 2006) 38th President of the United States who assumed office upon the resignation of Richard Nixon, who Ford later pardoned for any involvement in the Watergate scandal. FORD DEFENDS WILLIAM CALLEY, COURT-MARTIALED FOR MY LAI MASSACRE Fine content T.L.S. on House Minority Leader letterhead, 1p. 4to., Washington, April 2, 1971, to an outraged citizen about the court-martial of American officer and war criminal WILLIAM CALLEY JR. (b. 1943), charged with the premeditated killings of 22 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre. Sharing the sender's outrage regarding Calley's prosecution, Ford writees in part: '...I share the grave concern which you have expressed. Vietnam veterans with whom I have talked were astonished by the Defense Department's decision to prosecute Lt. Calley. They are distressed and angered by the court-martial verdict. I am sure this verdict will be appealed to higher authority, and I hope that Lt. Calley will benefit from equity and justice...President Nixon took the initiative on April 1 [one day before this letter was sent] and ordered Lt. Calley returned to his quarters while his case is under review...' Ford signs 'Jerry Ford' in blue ink at the conclusion. Tiny spot of loss at top edge, else fine. As many as 500 villagers - mostly women, children, infants, and the elderly - had been systematically killed by U.S. soldiers at My Lai, yet of the 26 officers and soldiers charged for their part in the massacre or subsequent cover-up, Calley was the only one convicted.

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February 9, 2021 10:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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