An excellent foreign policy letter to Norman Davis - photo 1
An excellent foreign policy letter to Norman Davis - photo 2

An excellent foreign policy letter to Norman Davis

Lot 349
19.10.2023 10:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 2 268
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1033010
Lot 349 | An excellent foreign policy letter to Norman Davis
Estimate value
$ 1 000 – 1 500
Franklin D ROOSEVELT (1882-1945). Typed letter signed ("Franklin D Roosevelt") with autograph corrections and postscript to Norman H. Davis, Warm Springs, GA, 20 April 1928.

Two pages, 183 x 265mm. (first page evenly toned, paper clip indents, staple hole in the upper corner).

Roosevelt elaborately discusses foreign policy, including the League of Nations: "I am advocating official participation in League matters, without actual membership on the old terms or any obligation to act..." Roosevelt writes regarding an upcoming article he has drafted for Foreign Affairs magazine, and takes his correspondent through some of the key points raised. Beginning by asserting the moral leadership demonstrated by the United States in 1919, Roosevelt then claims "a reversal of form during the last nine years, showing lack of such leadership as well as the failures like the Geneva conference ... and the complete loss of international friendship for this country..."

Roosevelt further advocates for active cooperation with the League of Nations and the World Court, then on the Naval side, he advocates for discussions on the use of warships, the rights of neutral ships, and "an immediate study on how to eliminate all further increase in naval armaments." Finally, he boldly asserts non-intervention in Latin American internal affairs, in favor of "joint study and offers of help where such are needed."

Finally, noting of the numerous autograph emendations made in his hand throughout, Roosevelt adds the humorous postscript: "As you will see, this was dictated by a local stenog[rapher] who has never heard of anything outside of the sovereign state of Georgia – "

The referenced magazine article was later published in the July 1928 edition of Foreign Affairs magazine. Norman Davis, Roosevelt's correspondent and a career diplomat, served as President Wilson's chief financial advisor at the Paris Peace Conference in 1917 and later served as the chairman of the American delegation at the 1933 Geneva Disarmament Conference under the Roosevelt administration. See the following lot for an inscribed photograph from Roosevelt to Davis.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
14.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
15.10.2023 13:00 – 17:00
16.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
17.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
18.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

More from Creator

Three typed letters signed
Three typed letters signed
$100
On his plans to restore the USS Hartford and construct a naval museum
On his plans to restore the USS Hartford and construct a naval museum
$100
Sending Christmas greetings to disabled World War I veterans
Sending Christmas greetings to disabled World War I veterans
$500
Signed photograph inscribed to Norman Davis
Signed photograph inscribed to Norman Davis
$100

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>