Lot 109
Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States, 1963-1969. Typed Letter Signed "Lyndon B. Johnson" as President, one page, 6¼" x 8½", [LBJ Ranch, Johnson City, Texas], January 28, 1969, to his former Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara on his personal stationery with the Presidential seal and his "LBJ" signature embossed in the upper left, reads in full "I have had many occasions to be grateful not only for your brilliant assistance, but also for the generosity of your support. Now, as so often in the past, I have difficulty finding the words to thank you. The tribute that you wrote for the New York dinner two weeks ago touched me deeply. But I must say, it belongs to you as well. What we may have accomplished, we accomplished together - - and not only I, but the entire nation is in your debt."; central file fold, fresh and Very Fine.Estimate $1,500 - 2,000.
LBJ THANKS HIS LONG-TIME SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: "WHAT WE MAY HAVE ACCOMPLISHED, WE ACCOMPLISHED TOGETHER - - AND NOT ONLY I, BUT THE ENTIRE NATION IS IN YOUR DEBT.".
On January 13, 1969, President Johnson was honored at a dinner dance held in the Grand Ballroom of New York's Plaza Hotel. "The New York Times" reported that "Just before the President's speech, [New York] Governor [Nelson] Rockefeller presented Mr. Johnson a collection of 21 essays praising the achievements of his Administration … In his essay former Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara praised the President's efforts 'to reverse a seemingly inevitable dash toward nuclear holocaust' by setting the stage for negotiations with the Soviet Union on a limitation of anti-missile defenses and offensive nuclear weapons." This is from the Estate of Robert S. McNamara, JFK and LBJ's Secretary of Defense from 1961-1968.