Private secretary to Adolf Hitler who guarded Der Führer’s door so strictly that high-ranking officials often complained of their lack of access. Bormann tried to escape from the Führerbunker on May 1, 1945, and was reportedly killed. His body was never found, and some believe he escaped to South America. TLS in German, signed “MB,” one page, 8.25 x 11.5, Verwaltung Obersalzberg letterhead, June 20, 1944. Hitler’s notorious private secretary makes an urgent request of Professor Heinrich Michaelis. In full (translated): “I ask you to please buy really great pictures and pieces of sculpture immediately, that is, before the opening of the great German art exhibit. In order to accomplish this, contact at once via telephone Direktor Kolb. It goes without saying that a car will be at your disposal for your trip to Munich. Heil Hitler!” The Nazis’ obsession with art—their leader, after all, was a failed painter—is one of the more intriguing chapters in the cultural history of the Third Reich. In fine condition, with usual mailing folds (one touching signature), filing holes at left margin, scattered wrinkling, and a single pinhole. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
