Description:

McAuliffe, Anthony (1898-1975) Gen. Anthony McAuliffe signs and pens his famous quote "Nuts!" which was his reply to the German commander who had demanded his surrender - also, and perhaps uniquely, signed by Gen. Omar Bradley whose decision to commit McAuliffe's 101st Airborne Division to defend Bastogne resulted in the incident

Card Signed "A.C. McAuliffe / Nuts!" and "Omar Bradley," 4.5" x 2.25" with printed partial U.S. Seal on verso. "Nuts!" with the exclamation point is 2.25" long, probably the largest extant. Neatly hinged at bottom to an Autograph Letter Signed "A C McAuliffe," 1p, 7.25" x 10.5". Washington, D.C., December 29, 1969. Fine condition.

It was Gen. Omar Bradley's decision to commit the airborne troops and the other units to the defense of Bastogne.

During the first week of the Battle of the Bulge, on December 22, 1944, General Anthony C. McAuliffe, acting Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, issued his famous reply of "Nuts!" to German General von LŸttwitz who demanded that he surrender. The 101st was able to hold off the Germans until reinforcements arrived on December 26th. For his actions at Bastogne, on December 30, 1944, Gen. McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General George S. Patton, Jr.

In "The Patton Papers," Volume 2, Gen. Patton wrote, "I told [Gen. Troy] Middleton to give ground and blow up bridges so that we can get the enemy further extended before we hit him in flank. However, on Bradley's suggestion, in which Middleton strongly concurred, we decided to hang on to Bastogne. This decision committed the airborne troops and the other units to their heroic defense of Bastogne, where Anthony McAuliffe, in temporary command of the 101st while [Gen.] Maxwell Taylor was in the United States, would respond to the German ultimatum to surrender with his famous 'Nuts.'"

Letters concerning the "Nuts!" incident rarely come on the market. In the last 30 years, only three have been sold at Christie's and Sotheby's with a 1969 letter selling for $13,000 at Christie's in 1994.

Gen. McAuliffe's ALS, in full, "Dear Mr. Kover: I regret that I was never a Scout, although I have always greatly admired the organization and contribute to it. My son still cherishes his merit badges and the skills which they represent. He loves the outdoors, is accomplished in woodcraft and camping and appreciative of nature. All this he learned as a Scout, and I have learned much from him. Of course, he is also a clean liver with high moral principles."

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