Description:

Churchill Winston

Winston Churchill on The Hunt for the Betrayer

"THE MARKED PASSAGE ...IS AN ACCURATE REPRODUCTION OF AN EXTREMELY SECRET CONVERSATION....

...FIND OUT... HOW THIS INFORMATION REACHED THE EVENING NEWS."

Two page autograph letter signed, as a bi-fold with the House of Commons blind stamp, 7.5" x 9.5". Penned on the recto and verso of the first leaf, the second leaf is left blank. Dated "July 4, 1906". Signed by Winston Churchill as " Winston Churchill." As Under-Secretary for the Colonies, to Lord Northcliffe. Headed 'Secret".

"The marked passage in the enclosed is an accurate reproduction of an extremely secret conversation in which only those persons were concerned all of whom utterly repudiate any indiscretion. I should be greatly obliged to you if you could as a matter of confidence find out for me how this information reached the Evening News. The paragraph has appeared in no other papers, which is curious, & seems to indicate that it was received through a channel not regarded as v[eily trustworthy. This particular item of news is not of great importance, but much is said under the shelter of our secret codes, which would render any leakage in the deciphering department a matter of grave public concern, in wh [kW lam quite sure I could count upon your good offices."

In 1906, in his newly-elected post as Undersecretary of the Colonies, Churchill was occupied with two South African issues, one of which is the possible subject of this letter. Upon his election, Churchill's first task was to help draft a constitution for the Transvaal, following the surrender of the Boers more than five years earlier. Another issue which claimed much of his time was the repatriation of Chinese laborers who were employed by mine owners under conditions resembling slavery. "On coming to power, the Liberal Government was pledged to halt the recruitment of Chinese labour and to allow those labourers already in South Africa to go home. Churchill abhorred the conditions under which the Chinese were working, and wanted to press for the most rapid repatriation possible.... It fell to Churchill to defend in the Commons the decision to wind down indentured labour.... [On May 3, he announced that he would continue with the repatriation scheme, and on July 31, he] announced the establishment of responsible government for the Transvaal...which abandoned the Imperial controls that the Conservatives had wanted to set" [Gilbert, Churchill: A Life]."

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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