Lot 327
JOHN F. KENNEDY
(1917-1963) Thirty-fifth President of the United States. Kennedy faced-down the Kruschev during the Cuban Missile Crisis, re-invigorated NASA, and signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Assassinated November 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald. Very fine content T.L.S. "John Kennedy" as President, 1p. 4to. on White House letterhead, Washington, Oct. 10, 1962 to Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer thanking him for attending the induction ceremonies for his successor as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Maxwell Taylor, after he had been passed-over by the Kennedy administration for another term as Chairman. Kennedy writes, in full: "Dear General Lemnitzer, I was particularly pleased to have you at the White House for the swearing-in ceremonies of General Maxwell Taylor. I said at the time that I was impressed with the number of distinguished and patriotic men of high competence and integrity who serve in our Armed Forces. This country has indeed been fortunate to have had such men as the four of you to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I expect that General Maxwell Taylor will emulate his distinguished predecessors. Enclosed is a picture taken while you were here [no longer present] which I thought you would like to have". Lemnitzer, who during the Second World War helped plan the invasions of North Africa and Sicily, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962. Like many high-ranking members of the military at the time, he was distrustful of the Kennedy administration, viewing them as soft on Communism. The distrust was mutual, and for good reason: in 1962, Lemnitzer approved a bizarre plan, code name Operation Northwoods, which sought to foment a war between the United States and Cuba by proposing a wide range of incidents in which the Communist regime could be held responsible. These ranged from deliberately flying U-2 planes at low altitudes over Cuba, to provoking a shooting, to paying a saboteur to attack the American base at Guantanamo Bay. Other plans included the assassination of Cuban emigrees, sinking Cuban refugee boats on the high seas, hijacking planes, and even planning violent terrorist attacks in U.S. cities. The plan even called for using the potential death of astronaut John Glenn (in the case his rocket exploded) as a false pretext for war with Cuba. Should the rocket explode and kill Glenn, the Joint Chiefs wrote, "the objective is to provide irrevocable proof...that the fault lies with the Communists et al Cuba...".This plan, which came to light only in the 1990s, was presented to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara on March 13, 1962. It is unclear how McNamara reacted, but three days later Kennedy, still reeling from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, flatly told Lemnitzer that there would no military action taken against Cuba. Several months later, Lemnitzer would be passed over for another term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In November 1962 Kennedy appointed Lemnitzer as Commander of U.S. Forces in Europe, and Allied Supreme Commander of N.A.T.O. The new Chairman, Maxwell Taylor, was an important ally of the Kennedys and distrusted the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1961, he helped investigate the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and soon became Kennedy's primary military advisor, cutting the Joint Chiefs out of the loop. This uncomfortable arrangement was eased by Maxwell's installation as Chairman in 1962. A superb letter by Kennedy with a dark, bold signature. The letter bears one horizontal fold, minor soiling at the top margin, tiny smudge to signature, else fine condition.
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