Lot 124
Reagan, Ronald. Autograph Note Signed at the top of a White House press release containing the "Remarks of the President At Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp," made on May 5, 1985, 2¼ pp, 13½" x 8½", n.p., n.d. Excellent condition; one horizontal fold. Reagan wrote in blue ink to an unidentified person, "I thought you might like this. Ronald Reagan." Reagan addressed Chancellor Kohl and other guests, evoking the victims of the camp, both those who died there and those who survived. He quoted the Talmud, Abraham Lincoln, and Anne Frank's diary, in which she expressed the hope and belief "that this cruelty too will end and that peace and tranquility will return again." Reagan ended with the words, "Never again."
President Reagan's visit to Belgen-Belsen was surrounded by controversy because of his decision to preside, hours later, over a wreath-laying ceremony at a cemetery in Bitburg that contained the graves of nearly 2,000 German soldiers, including 49 SS troops. The Bitburg visit, considered the biggest fiasco of Reagan's presidency, was opposed by both houses of Congress, Jewish organizations, veterans' groups and others.
Estimated Value $800 - 1,000.
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| Realized $3,450 |
