Autograph note from Ronald Reagan as president, unsigned, one page, 4 x 5.25, White House stationery, [no date, circa pre-1983]. Handwritten note in ink by Reagan, answering a sports-related inquiry from a media liaison directed to his secretary Helene von Damm, in full: “Basketball Team I played on was First Mot[ion]. Pic[tures]. Unit Army Air Force – I'm bad on names & that was a long time ago, but if that's the team he was on we played together.” The typed note: “Linda Perryman in Media Liaison (2973) wants to know if, in fact, the President played basketball with Mayor Moritz of Seymour, Indiana in California during World War II.” In fine condition.
Reagan was called to active duty on April 19, 1942, and joined the Army Air Force the following month. He was assigned to public relations and the 1st Motion Picture Unit in January 1943. Reagan's service with the AAF was nothing short of extraordinary. According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force: ‘While on active duty with the 1st Motion Picture Unit and the 18th AAFBU, Reagan served as Personnel Officer, Post Adjutant, Executive Officer, and even Commanding Officer, often two or more at the same time. On May 15, 1945, in a memo to Gen. H.H. 'Hap' Arnold, Commanding General of the AAF, Maj. Gen. James P. Hodges, the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff for Intelligence, wrote that Reagan 'has proven himself to be an officer of exceptional ability, demonstrating unusual initiative, and performs his duties in a superior manner. Captain Reagan has received a 'superior' efficiency rating continually since 1 Jul., 1943.' The reference to 'unusual initiative' undoubtedly resulted, at least in part, from Reagan repeatedly volunteering to assist in producing and narrating AAF motion pictures, in addition to his regular duties. By the end of the war, his military units had produced 400 training films for the AAF.’
In contrast, disgraced Mayor of Seymour, Indiana, Christopher Moritz (1912-1995) resigned on March 29, 1983, after being found guilty of four counts of accepting bribes while in office. He was sentenced to five years in prison and barred from holding public office for 10 years.
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