TLS as president, one page, 8 x 10.25, White House letterhead, May 9, 1938. Letter to Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum. In full: “I referred your letter…to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of the Interior for the purpose of reaching a satisfactory solution to your problem. I have been advised by Secretary Ickes that you have since conferred on several occasions with officials of his Department and, as a result, the necessary documentary evidence is being submitted for consideration by the Acting Comptroller General in support of your claim for compensation during the interim between the two contracts. The National Park Service also will endeavor to give the fullest measure of cooperation in connection with your work on the ground. I doubt whether it would be advisable to form a new Commission through legislative enactment at this time inasmuch as, when the funds available at present have been expended, a new authorization for an additional appropriation must be passed by Congress, at which time the question of reorganization or the abolishment of the Commission would have consideration." A rusty paperclip mark and pencil notation above text, and some scattered light toning and soiling, otherwise fine condition.
Since 1929, Rapid City’s Mayor John Boland served as chair of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission, overseeing the project and managing its finances. Though he stood behind artist Gutzon Borglum with unwavering loyalty, the notoriously difficult Borglum resented having to answer to anyone. In 1938, when Borglum’s initial contract for Mount Rushmore expired and a new one was being negotiated, he insisted on forming a new commission that he would control himself. In this letter, President Roosevelt attempts to quiet the stubborn artist, assuring him that everyone is working in full cooperation with him, maintaining that he “doubt[s] whether it would be advisable to form a new Commission.” Unfortunately, even the words of the president could not appease Borglum’s hubris: Boland stepped down, the new commission was accepted, and Borglum agreed to complete his work. This fascinating letter provides a look at the power struggle between the president and the brash artist behind one of America’s most epic monuments, showing that while Borglum had enormous respect and great drive to honor presidents past, the same was not necessarily true for the president in office. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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