Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 53
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
John F. Kennedy, Just Weeks After his Older Brother's Tragic Death, Seeks Help on a Tribute Volume that Would Become "As We Remember Joe"
John F. Kennedy, Just Weeks After his Older Brother's Tragic Death, Seeks Help on a Tribute Volume that Would Become "As We Remember Joe"
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3
Description:

John F. Kennedy
Hyannis Port, MA, October 6, 1944
John F. Kennedy, Just Weeks After his Older Brother's Tragic Death, Seeks Help on a Tribute Volume that Would Become "As We Remember Joe"
TLS

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). Typed Letter Signed, "Jack", 1p, on his personal letterhead, 7.25" x 10.5", Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, October 6, 1944. Accompanied by the original "From John F. Kennedy" printed presentation mailing envelope for As We Remember Joe and a supplied copy (not belonging to Flood) of the first edition of the book. Book is first issue, one of 390 copies, with winged device on the title page printed in red. Letter has expected folds and creases with very minor scattered spotting. In nearly fine condition and boldly signed.

Kennedy writes to family friend, Joe's roommate Richard Flood, for assistance as he seeks to memorialize his brother through a series of pen portraits by those who knew him. The result was "As We Remember Joe", a small tribute book that he hoped to present to his distraught parents at Christmas.

In full:

"Dear Dick: For some time I have wanted to do something to perpetuate Joe's memory among his immediate family and his close friends. I thought, perhaps, of getting together some essays, written by those who knew him well, which together with photographs could be placed in book form. It would be primarily as a gift for my mother and father and for anyone else who wished it.

As I know you were always a great friend of Joe's and that he held you in very high regard, I was wondering if you would care to help out by writing one. / I would suggest that the essay could be any length up to five hundred words and that perhaps you could include in this what to you was Joe's outstanding characteristic and perhaps an anecdote illustrating this on [or] some other side of his character.

Nothing is being said to my father or mother, as I should like to see it all together and finished before they are told about it. Warmest regards. Very sincerely, Jack". He then adds a handwritten postscript: "If you have any ideas on this, give me a call. Best, Jack / Did Max come through?"

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was the oldest son of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, and both he and his father expected him one day to be President of the United States. He graduated from Harvard College in 1938 and attended Harvard Law School but left before finishing to enlist in the Naval Reserve. His tragic death on a dangerous mission on August 12, 1944, shocked the Kennedy family. Within weeks of his older brother's death, and still recovering from his own back surgery after the destruction of his PT 109 boat more than a year earlier, Kennedy writes to his and Joe's friend Dick Flood, who was then at the U.S. Navy Supply School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When Flood first heard the news of Joe's death, he wrote to Kennedy: "You have lost a brother, and I have lost my closest friend."

Kennedy edited a group of twenty letters or remembrances that appeared in As We Remember Joe in 1945, privately printed by the University Press in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Richard Flood wrote one of the essays. In his essay, Flood related the story of the Harvard freshmen's annual smoker, which he had organized. He focused on Joe Kennedy's many attributes and concluded, "I lost one of the rarest of life's blessings, a true friend. His community, his state, and his country lost one of its brightest and most promising sons." Others who contributed essays included Robert Downes, Joe's football teammate and roommate at Harvard; Dr. Payson Wild Jr. (1907-1998), Joe's advisor and a professor of government at Harvard; Commander James Reedy, U.S.N. (1910-1999), a graduate of the Naval Academy and the commanding officer of Squadron VB110, who allowed Joe to volunteer for his final mission; Professor Harold J. Laski (1893-1950), who was Joe's professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1933-34; Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy Cavendish (1920-1948), one of Joe's sisters, whose wedding he attended in London on May 9, 1944, and whose new husband was killed on September 9, 1944, less than a month after Joe's death; Joseph F. Timilty (1894-1980), Joe's friend and the Boston Police Commissioner from 1936 to 1943; Grandpa (John Francis Fitzgerald) (1863-1950), mayor of Boston from 1906 to 1908 and from 1910 to 1914, and of whose nineteen grandchildren Joe was the oldest; and Arthur Krock (1886-1974), Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist and chief of the Washington Bureau of the New York Times.

In the Foreword, Kennedy wrote, "My only hesitancy in collecting these essays was that I doubted that Joe, if he had had a voice in it, would have approved. But I have disagreed with him before, so here they are." Although Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. found the book so sad he could only read one brief essay at a time, he told Arthur Krock that it was "a splendid piece of work" and was grateful to his son for producing it.

Richard R. Flood (1914-1969) was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard College in 1939 and from its law school in 1946 as of 1942. Flood served as a lieutenant in the Navy during World War II. He received a master's degree from the Harvard Business School cum laude in 1947. Admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1948, he established a practice in Lowell, Massachusetts, and was a partner in the firm of Flood, Valentine, and Foisy until his death.

Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (1915-1944) was born in Massachusetts, the oldest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He graduated from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1933 and from Harvard College in 1938. While at Harvard, Kennedy participated in football, rugby, and crew and served on the student council. He then spent a year studying at the London School of Economics before enrolling in Harvard Law School. Both he and his father had aspirations that Joseph Jr. would become President of the United States, and he planned to run for Congress in 1946. Kennedy left before his final year at Harvard Law School to enlist in the U.S. Naval Reserve on June 24, 1941. He trained as an aviator and received his commission as an ensign in May 1942. In 1943-1944, he completed twenty-five combat missions from Great Britain. He then volunteered for an Operation Aphrodite mission in which two crew members took off in a bomber, activated a remote-control system, and parachuted from the aircraft. A ground crew then navigated the unmanned, explosive-laden bomber to crash into a target. In the Navy's first Aphrodite mission, on August 12, 1944, Kennedy and his co-pilot took off in a B-24 bomber, set the controls, and armed the explosive package, which detonated prematurely over southeastern England, killing Kennedy and his co-pilot instantly. Kennedy received the Navy Cross posthumously.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 7.25" x 10.5"
  • Medium: TLS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third-Party Shipping Option: If a third-party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third-party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third-party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third-party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third-party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

April 23, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000