Hoover Herbert

Herbert Hoover World War II & Finnish Relief Content

1p typed letter signed by former 31st U.S. President Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) as "Herbert Hoover" at center. Dated December 12, 1939. On watermarked cream stationery with "Herbert Hoover" embossed in cobalt blue at top. Expected light paper folds including a horizontal one intersecting Hoover's signature, which is bold and dark. A paperclip impression at upper left. Else near fine. 7.25" x 10.5". Also comes with three additional items relating to Hoover's chain of correspondence, itemized below.

Ex-President Herbert Hoover explained to correspondent Dr. Robert Alway Peers of Colfax, California that he had been busy organizing Finnish food relief. In part:

"The job of getting the Finnish Relief Fund underway has kept me from acknowledging before this the fine hospitality which I enjoyed in your home…

I feel that you are entitled to a great deal of credit for getting together such a splendid representation of leaders in your territory. The spirit in which they are taking their responsibilities promises well for the 1940 campaign…"

Ever since Finnish independence in 1917, the Scandinavian country had experienced the negative impacts of civil war, wartime blockades, and bad harvests. Russian forces invaded Finland on November 30, 1939, precipitating the four-month-long Winter War. The Finnish people, desperate to obtain basic foodstuffs, called for foreign aid. Hoover was asked for help because of his stellar World War I fundraising and relief record. (Between 1917-1919, Hoover chaired the Commission for Relief in Belgium and the American Relief Administration, two organizations which mobilized food supplies for displaced war refugees.) In December 1939, Hoover established the Finnish Relief Fund.

The organization placed newspaper ads and sponsored special events, the proceeds of which benefited the cause. (One such event was the first screening of that year's blockbuster Southern epic, Gone With the Wind.) In four months, the Finnish Relief Fund amassed $2.5 million for Finland. Other nations, like nearby Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom, also contributed funds.

The lot also includes the original correspondence that prompted Hoover's letter. Very good condition overall, with scattered expected folds and paperclip impressions at upper left.

Including:

1. 1p typed letter on "Herbert Hoover" stationery signed by Hoover's secretary Bernice Miller, informing Dr. Peers that Mr. Hoover was out of the office "having undertaken the task of organizing the Finnish Relief Fund."

2. November 15, 1939 carbon copy of Dr. Peers's letter to Hoover regarding Hoover's intended visit to California.

3. December 12, 1939 carbon copy of Dr. Peers's letter to Hoover's secretary in which he informs her of information about on-the-ground "military situations" in Belgium.

Hoover's correspondent, Dr. Robert Alway Peers (1875-1970), was a Canadian émigré who relocated to Colfax, a town in northern California located about halfway in between Sacramento and Carson City, Nevada, in the early twentieth-century. Dr. Peers became a world-renowned specialist in tuberculosis treatment. He also served as the mayor of Colfax between 1922-1945.

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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