Lot 11
Howard Hughes Contract with Noah Dietrich. Document Signed ("Howard R. Hughes"). Three pages, quarto, Houston, September 9, 1940. Typescript on onion skin paper. Being a contract between Hughes Tool Company and Howard Hughes employing Hughes to test fly planes for the company. Noah Dietrich signs for Hughes Tool and has penned a guarantee of authenticity (dated June 4, 1973) on verso of third page. Toning at edges; faint foxing on page two; staple holes at top left corners; notary seal and blank affixed to bottom of third page, with adhesive residue visible. Overall, very good condition.
This is reportedly the only contract Dietrich ever signed with Howard Hughes, in over 30 years of managing Hughes Tool and Howard Hughes' personal interests. If this is indeed the case, this document is remarkable for its rarity more than its content (which IS very interesting), and is a unique relic of one of the most profitable business relationships of the mid- 20th century, as Dietrich's efforts were largely responsible for the transformation of Hughes from a merely wealthy man to a billionaire. The contract between Hughes Tool and Howard Hughes employs him to act as chief pilot of a specific plane, relieves Hughes of responsibility for damages or liabilities connected with the plane, limits access to the radio equipment on the plane solely to Hughes, and in the event of separation allows for all FCC licenses for the radio equipment to be cancelled. It is hard to not place too much emphasis on the secrecy regarding the radio equipment in the plane, given our hindsight into Hughes' eccentricities and abilities as an inventor….
Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000.
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| Realized $2,300 |
