TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead, September 23, 1935. Letter addressed to Honorable Duncan U. Fletcher. Roosevelt writes, in part, "I want to send you this note to tell you of my great happiness in the starting of the preliminary work of what I am sure will become one of our greatest national achievements - a transcontinental Florida Canal.” In August 1935 Roosevelt allocated $5.4 million to build a canal from Jacksonville to Ocala on the Gulf of Mexico. Some 6,000 men cleared 4,000 acres before Congress cut funding in 1936. Several later presidents tried to revive the project but all failed. In 1999, the St. Petersburg Times denounced it as “one of the biggest blunders in Florida history.” In fine condition, with a bisecting horizontal fold and a light shade of overall toning. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
