Description:

Ronald Reagan
[Washington, DC], n.d. but possibly 1981
Ronald Reagan on White House Stationery 100+ Word ALS Probably Re: WWII First Motion Picture Unit!
ALS

A 1p autograph letter signed by sitting 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) as "Ron" near center right. N.d. but possibly 1981. [Washington, D.C.] Inscribed with approximately 104 words in Reagan's hand, with one cross-out, in black ink on a leaf of watermarked "The White House / Washington / Memorandum" stationery. Expected light wear including minor scattered wrinkles and chips, especially to the upper right corner. Some isolated rust along the upper left corner of the top edge, else near fine. 8.5" x 11." Impeccable provenance as this item comes from the files of Helene von Damm (b. 1938), Reagan's longtime personal secretary and later Ambassador to Austria, and gifted to our consignor, her White House assistant.

President Reagan wrote this letter to an old friend named "Sol," who, based on the content, was probably Salman "Sol" Dolgin (1908-1991), a Polish-born Hollywood publicity executive who worked at Warner Brothers Studio before joining the armed services during World War II. Evidently, Reagan's staff had recently neglected to inform him that Sol had attempted to reach out to him. We maintain that Reagan's reference to "Fumpu" towards the end of the letter almost certainly signifies FMPU, or, the First Motion Picture Unit, also known as the 18th AAF Base Unit (U.S. Army Air Force).

Reagan wrote in part:

"Dear Sol

Received your note & the picture. Thanks very much.

Sol I'm afraid that sometimes my people here get overly protective of me. I'm sorry I missed you when you were here although as the schedule worked out it was impossible. However I've only ever seen a copy of the 'thank you' sent on July 7.

It's taking some time to get everybody alerted that I dont want form letters to my friends but I'll make it.

I enjoyed reading about the reunion of "Fumpu" but it brought back the feeling of regret that I missed it.

Again Happy Anniversary & again thanks.

Sincerely
Ron."

The First Motion Picture Unit was established in 1942 under Lieutenant Colonel Jack Warner, erstwhile studio head, as commanding officer of a military film production unit entirely comprised of ex-film professionals. During its four years of operation, FMPU produced some 400 propaganda and training films. These films starred A-list actors - then enlisted servicemen - like Ronald Reagan, Clark Gable, William Holden, Clayton Moore, Van Heflin, and George Reeves. Reagan entered the service as Second Lieutenant and eventually attained the rank of Captain. When he wasn't overseeing personnel and recruitment orientation at "Fort Roach" (the former Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, converted over to FMPU use), Reagan starred in a handful of dramatic shorts. FMPU-produced titles starring Ronald Reagan included "Recognition of the Japanese Zero Fighter" (1943), "Target Tokyo" (1945), and "The Fight for the Sky" (1945).

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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