TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, February 8, 1918. Letter to Walter Adriance, care of the War Trade Board. In full: “It was a pleasure to get a letter from you and I write to say that I have asked the Secretary of War to have the case of Sergeant Jasper reexamined very carefully.” In very good condition, with scattered toning, slightly fuzzy appearance to signature, and a Bureau of Research stamp to bottom of letter. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope.
A little over a month before the Germans began their Spring Offensive, America was still ramping up its commitment to the war effort. In this letter to Adriance, a director on the War Trade Board, Wilson writes that he has written to the Secretary of War regarding a request. The Secretary of War at the time was Newton Baker, the man who selected General John J. Pershing to head the Allied Expeditionary Force and who created the first nationwide military draft, resulting in nearly three million men being inducted into military service. The War Trade Board was an agency Wilson created by executive order to govern imports and exports during the war, and which only existed for two years before being folded into the State Department. A week after he wrote this letter, Wilson signed into law a sweeping proclamation that resulted in strict limits for imports and exports which Adriance had the duty of overseeing for the rest of the war. A unique piece of wartime correspondence from the president to an unsung homefront hero. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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