Lot 18
Eisenhower, Dwight D. -- 1943 ALS Addressing Rumors About His Relationship With Kay Summersby (1890-1969) 34th President of the United States (1953-61); Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War II. Autograph letter signed "Ike," 3 pages, 10½x8", n.p., Feb. 28, 1943. To his wife, Mamie, who had got wind of rumors that he was having an affair with Kay Summersby, a member of the British Mechanized Transport Corps, who served as his chauffeur and later as his personal secretary from 1942 to 1945. He tries to reassure Mamie, in part: "…It would be difficult to tell you how much I agree with your idea of just getting together after this war is over and never letting anything part us again. Sometimes I get so homesick for you I don't know what to do. But I always know this--for me there is only one woman and only one ambition with respect to a woman--that is to come a-running to you & hold on to you firmly, forever. You must realize that in such a confused life as we lead there are all sorts of stories, gossip, lies and etc. can get started without the slightest foundation. In fact, I don't even let my people tell me what they are--my poor brain is sufficiently burdened with things that are true. So I want you to know that you can smile at anything--I'm trying to do my duty, every day, and my only hope is that this war will be over quickly so I can go over with you minute by minute, everything that's happened to either of since I last saw you….I love you--only!!"
With Eisenhower's help, Summersby (1908-75) became a U.S. citizen and a commissioned officer in the U.S. Women's Army Corps. Wartime correspondence between Summersby and Eisenhower and published books, including Summersby's own memoirs, offer evidence of a very warm relationship between the two. Estimated Value $4,000 - UP
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| Realized $13,800 |
