Description:

Wilson TLS Regarding Hoover & Belgian Relief 5 Days Before End of WWI

A 1p typed letter signed by 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), as "Woodrow Wilson" at lower right. [Washington, D.C.], November 6, 1918. Typed in teal ink on watermarked stationery with "The White House / Washington" letterhead embossed on the first page. The remaining pages are blank. Expected wear including flattened folds, isolated paper clip impressions at top, pagination in pencil at bottom, and some ghost ink impressions found on the blank inner pages. Wilson's signature is feathered. Else crisp and near fine. 6.875" x 8.875."

Just five days before the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918 officially ending the war, President Wilson reached out to Edward Nash Hurley (1864-1933), Chairman of the U.S. Shipping Board, regarding post-war logistics. As German forces withdrew from occupied zones under the terms of the Armistice, Allied troops and displaced civilians would flow in; meanwhile, the transfer of power, materiel, and people into a destabilized region promised further chaos. Wilson wanted to head off the impending crisis.

Wilson wrote in part:

"In view of the approaching evacuation of Belgium and the new problems that confront this unfortunate people, I have asked Mr. Hoover to expand the activities of Commission for Relief in Belgium to cover the entire relationship of this government, and possibly that of other governments, together with all American public charity, to the whole business not only of food but also clothing, raw material, tools, machinery, exchange and other economic relief involved in the reconstruction of Belgium.

I would be obliged if your Department would give him all support and cooperation in this matter…"

The Allied Powers had initiated their Hundred Days Offensive, aimed at decisively defeating the Central Powers, in early August 1918. That fall, German front lines were pushed back to territory not controlled since 1914, and the Hindenburg Line, a strip of German defensive bastions, surrendered in early October 1918. President Wilson's reference to the "evacuation of Belgium" concerned the withdrawal of defeated German troops from a country they had occupied for over four years.

Mining engineer and future 31st U.S. President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) chaired the Commission for Relief in Belgium (C.R.B.) after August 1914. The C.R.B. was an international humanitarian mission established in the immediate aftermath of the war, tasked with feeding and provisioning the civilian populations of German-occupied Belgium and northern France. It's estimated that the C.R.B. successfully transported an estimated 5.7 million tons of flour, grains, and sugar to feed civilians near the battle zone over the course of the conflict. Hoover's command of large-scale logistics and administration became legendary after this feat.

Edward N. Hurley, a Chicago entrepreneur with an engineering background, had become increasingly involved in politics during the Wilson administration. Hurley had previously served as Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission from July 1916 to January 1917. Also from early 1917, Hurley had sat on the War Trade Board, which controlled access to U.S. shipping. Wilson had selected Hurley as one of seven members of the newly created Red Cross War Council in May 1917. On July 25, 1917, Hurley would also be confirmed as Chairman of the U.S. Shipping Board.

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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