Description:

Ronald Reagan
n.p., n.d.
Reagan as Pres. to Influential Civil Rights Leader Roger Wilkins, Talks About Relationship with Joe Louis
ALS

Superb content and association autograph letter as President, signed with initials "RR". N.p., n.d. Penned to influential Civil Rights leader and New York Times editor Roger Wilkins on two sides of lined yellow notepaper. Rough top margin and a bit of wear to sides; overall, very good. 2pp. 8.5" x 11". Impeccable provenance: this item comes from the files of Helene von Damm (b. 1938), Reagan's longtime personal secretary and later Ambassador to Austria, gifted to our consignor, her White House assistant.

In part:
"…Thank you for your letter and for the gift of your script. It probably has more meaning for me than you know. You see I knew Joe too.
I was a radio announcer in those days and a Joe Louis fan. I met him in that capacity but we became better acquainted after I went to Hollywood.
Then during the war when we were both in the service we found ourselves ordered to appear in the movie 'This Is The Army.' That was the musical Irving Berlin wrote as an 'Army emergency relief', fund raiser. All the proceeds from the movie went to the fund. Joe of course was working for his $54 a month privates pay. I did a little better because I was a 2nd Lt. having been in the reserves. We became friends.
Years later when I was out speech making I spoke out against the disgraceful and in my view utterly dishonest procedures the Internal Revenue Service used to literally confiscate the bulk of his savings.
If you haven't heard this episode let me offer it to you. During the war a giant bond rally was held in Madison Square Garden. The greatest stars of the entertainment world appeared and numerous political figures. As you can imagine there were many statements about whose side God was on in that war. Then George Jessel interviewed Pvt. Joe Louis. Joe stood up in front of the vast crowd & simply stated, 'I know we'll win because we are on God's side'…
Again I thank you for writing as you did and I appreciate your frankness in telling me where you stand. May I suggest that just possibly if we had a chance to discuss what it is we're trying to do for you & I might not be so far apart…".

Roger Wilkins (1932-2017) was an American lawyer, Civil Rights leader, and journalist who served as Assistant Attorney General under Lyndon B. Johnson. During the Johnson administration, he further acted as the president's key liaison to the Poor People's Campaign, launched by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. While Wilkins' criticism of Ronald Reagan is well-known, the two political opponents did agree upon one thing: their admiration for heavyweight boxer Joe Louis (1914-1981).

Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time, Louis reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until his temporary retirement in 1949. In early 1942, he enlisted as a private in the United States Army and was later assigned for training in a segregated cavalry unit based in Fort Riley, Kansas. Throughout the war, his motto quoted by Reagan in this letter- "We'll win, 'cause we're on God's side"- created a media frenzy which caused his reputation to soar in popularity. In 1943, Louis made an appearance in the wartime musical "This Is the Army" alongside the future President, appearing as himself in a musical number which emphasized the importance of African American soldiers.

On April 12, 1981, Louis passed away at the age of 66 from sudden cardiac arrest just hours after his last public appearance. In a statement following his death, Reagan notably said of the fighter: "his career was an indictment of racial bigotry and a source of pride and inspiration to millions of white and black people around the world." In a final tribute to his friend, the President waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and Louis was buried there with full military honors on April 21, 1981.

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: 8.5" x 11"
  • Medium: ALS

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