Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
Whether you consider him the shooter or the patsy, Lee Harvey Oswald was the major figure in the assassination of the beloved President, John F. Kennedy. Presented is a letter from Lee to his brother Robert Oswald, written from Russia in late November, 1961. Oswald discusses Christmas gifts and visa issues, sports and candy, a normal brother-to-brother correspondence. Less than 2 years from when this letter was written, both JFK and Oswald would be dead and the world forever changed. The full letter contents are, spelling uncorrected, “Dear Robert; We sent you a package with a few little Christmas presents for everybody. You have already received the color books for Cathy [Robert’s five-year-old daughter]. The package may be a little late you may not get until about New Years. We sent the package only today. We still haven’t received any word about our visas. Marina says that she cannot wait until she gets to the U.S. and see’s little Robert Jr. [Robert’s 7-month-old son].
“If you like, you can send me a football, (they only have round one’s here [soccer balls]) just deflate it & send it to me like a letter. Also you can pick up a few diagrams of Plays at any filling station and send them along. Also, these Russians seem interested in learning how to play, so I thought maybe you could help me out and together we’ll show them a little bit of American sport.
“Our deal about the visas is not getting any better, and I think about New Years, I’ll fly into Moscow, and go to the Embassy about it. As time goes on, our complaints, and their inactivity, will bring things to a head one side or the other will break.
“We sent you a can of a kind of Russian candy called ‘KHAIIVA’ [halvah], it’s made from grain and sugar, so when you’ll open the package you’ll know its candy. I eat a lot of it, if you all like it, will send some more. We’ll send all this on about Dec. 1 so you should receive it about Christmas (I hope). Your Brother Lee”
Lee Harvey Oswald signed the letter boldly “Your Brother / Lee” in blue ink. The 2-page, 5-1/2” x 8” conjoined sheets of ruled paper are in remarkable condition with a few fold lines. The signature comes with a full photo LOA from PSA/DNA and further provenance of this piece is that it was the Warren Commission Exhibit No. 308 and is pictured on pages 849-850, Volume XVI, Warren Commission Hearings. LOA from University Archives signed by leading historical autograph expert John Reznikoff.
This lot has a Reserve Price that has not been met.