Description:

Leslie Groves TLS Re: "the development of the MacArthur Memorial"

A 1p typed letter signed by retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Leslie R. Groves, Jr. (1896-1970), as "Leslie R Groves" near lower right. Dated September 25, 1969, [Washington, D.C.] on a half-sheet of custom stationery with "Lieutenant General Leslie R. Groves / 2101 Connecticut Avenue N.W. / Washington, D.C. 20008" letterhead. Expected wear including a central horizontal fold, and a partly erased collector's inscription at upper left, else near fine. 6.125" x 8."

Groves served as chairman of the MacArthur Memorial Committee, a group tasked with overseeing the design and erection of a larger-than-life-size statue of General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), a West Point graduate (Class of 1903) and hero of the World War II Philippines campaign. The bronze sculpture designed by American artist Walker Hancock (1901-1998) depicted MacArthur in his khaki military uniform and stood over 13' high including the 8' statue and granite base. The statue was unveiled on the campus of the United States Military Academy at West Point on September 11, 1969, just two weeks earlier.

Groves wrote an unknown correspondent and fellow committee member named Bernice, in part: "I do want to thank you for your help in enabling the Committee to arrive at sound decisions in all of the questions that arose during the development of the MacArthur Memorial. As I am sure you already know, your taste was essential to the result. I always leaned on it heavily…"

The only other bronze casting--and apparently an exact replica of Hancock's West Point statue of General MacArthur--can be found at Norfolk City Hall, in Norfolk, Virginia. The duplicate bronze was unveiled in April 1970. The MacArthur Memorial is comprised of MacArthur's family tomb; a research center containing thousands of papers, artifacts, and military memorabilia donated by MacArthur to the city of Norfolk in 1961; and a visitor's center.

Groves was also a West Point graduate (Class of 1918) and he served as president of the West Point alumni organization, the Association of Graduates, in the 1960s. Groves personally gave General MacArthur the Sylvanus Thayer Award at West Point in 1962, prompting MacArthur's celebrated "Duty, Honor, Country" address. Groves was a career U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officer, who directed the construction of the Pentagon Building after 1941, and oversaw the Manhattan Project after 1942. These two monumental achievements earned Groves his retroactive promotion to Lieutenant General upon his retirement in 1948.

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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