Description:

Ronald Reagan
[Washington, D.C.], ca. February 1981
Ronald Reagan AES to Journalist J. Kingsbury-Smith Following an Address to Senate Youth Delegates
AES

An autograph endorsement signed "RR", penned at the conclusion of a typed letter to President Reagan from journalist Joseph Kingsbury-Smith. 1p on Hearst Foundation stationary, measuring 8.5" x 11", Washington, D.C., ca. February 1981. Within, Kingsbury-Smith thanks Reagan for his address in the White House Rose Garden to "102 young delegates of the U.S. Senate Youth Program," and asks after his health from standing in the cold. Exhibits two small pin holes near upper left, with minor pen mark above. Isolated soiling to lower right corner, not affecting signature or text. Otherwise, near fine.

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.

The President responds to Kingsbury-Smith in the lower margin, writing in full:

"Dear Mr. Smith
It is I who should thank you. Meeting those young people was inspirational and seeing several old friends was heartwarming to say the least.
I appreciate your concern about my health but there were no ill effects- not even a sneeze. Again my thanks to all of you for creating this program.
Best regards/ RR"

Reagan spoke on February 5, 1981 in the Rose Garden at the White House to a group of over one hundred young delegates of the U.S. Senate Youth Program. In his opening remarks, he greeted Charles L. Gould, vice president of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, which sponsored the program.

Joseph Kingsbury-Smith (1908-1999) was a journalist with the Hearst Corporation for more than sixty years. He won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Reporting of International Affairs for a series of interviews in 1955 with Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders.

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: AES

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