Description:

Gerald Ford
Washington, DC, November 22, 1966
G. Ford on "sound and accurate" Warren Commission After Examining "rumors, charges & countercharges," JSA Authentication
TLS

Typed Letter Signed ("Jerry Ford") on official letterhead of the Congress of the United States, Office of the Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., dated November 22, 1966, three years to the day of the assassination of President Kennedy, and addressed to Mr. Michael R. Patterson, New York Consolidated Exchange. The letter has been boldly signed in blue ink at conclusion as "Jerry Ford." Authenticated by JSA, with a hologram on verso. Moderate toning and hole punches, else fine. The letter measures 8" x 10.5".

In this letter, Gerald R. Ford responds to inquiries about the Warren Commission Report, firmly reaffirming his belief that its conclusions regarding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy are "sound and accurate" and that "nothing has developed which would alter my view as the conclusions reached in the Warren Report."

In full:

"Dear Mr. Patterson:

I have your recent letter regarding certain questions you have about the Warren Commission Report and its critics.

As you know, the Warren Commission not only published a large one-volume report, but also published 26 volumes of hearings. As a Commission, we went into the matter as thoroughly as it is humanly possible to do and did not depend entirely on testimony received from other government agencies.

We examined all the rumors, charge and countercharges. I am convinced that the conclusions reached by the Commission and published in the report are sound and accurate.

I, too, have seen and heard various rumors, charges and countercharges subsequent to the issuance of the report. However, nothing has developed which would alter my view as the conclusions reached in the Warren Report.

However, I know that the questions raised in your letter are important to you and for that reason, I know that you are eager to have an answer. While the Commission has no continuing staff and thus individual members now have no research facilities at their disposal, I do have a means by which certain detailed questions about the assassination can be researched and evaluated.

But because of the lack of paid, full-time staff and because of the number of requests we have received to have detailed questions about the Report answered, it may take some time before you have an answer.

I did want you to know, however, that your letter has been received, and the questions you raised are being looked into, and additionally that we will attempt to provide you with the answers to your questions.

Sincerely,
Jerry Ford."

Dated November 22, 1966, the third anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, this letter reflects Gerald R. Ford's continued public defense of the Warren Commission's findings. Ford had served as a member of the Warren Commission from 1963 to 1964, the body appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination. The Commission's report, issued in September 1964, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but debate and skepticism persisted nationwide in the years that followed.

By 1966, questions about the Warren Report were intensifying in the press and among the public. As House Minority Leader, Ford remained firmly committed to the Commission's conclusions, asserting in this letter that its findings were "sound and accurate" and that no subsequent information had altered his view. Correspondence such as this provides direct evidence of Ford's personal and political investment in defending the integrity of the investigation, an issue that remained one of the most controversial and enduring subjects in modern American history.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 10.5"
  • Medium: TLS

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