Lot 193

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Lot 193
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Charles Lindbergh to Gen. Hap Arnold Signed Photo, Fabulous!
Charles Lindbergh to Gen. Hap Arnold Signed Photo, Fabulous!
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Description:

Charles Lindbergh to Gen. Hap Arnold Signed Photo, Fabulous!

A stunning black and white bust photograph of American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh (1902-1974) in uniform with silver eagle insignia of the rank of colonel. Signed and inscribed to Commanding General of the Army Air Forces Henry Harley “Hap” Arnold (1886-1950) at lower right, "For General H. H. Arnold / from Charles A. Lindbergh / July 1939". The photograph measures 7.5" x 9.5" and is archivally matted and framed to an overall size of 11” x 14”. An historic association, in fine condition.

Exhausted by the publicity surrounding the tragic kidnapping and murder of their infant son four years earlier, Anne and Charles Lindbergh retreated to England in early 1936. This move afforded Lindbergh the opportunity to closely observe the continent’s major air forces. He was most impressed with the Luftwaffe, and contacted Arnold, then chief of the Air Corps, to warn him of Germany’s current and potential air power, and urged Arnold to go to Germany immediately to assess the military situation there for himself. While Lindbergh made arrangements to return on a fact-finding mission, Kristallnacht, Germany’s worst pogrom up to that date, shocked the world. The press criticized Lindbergh for his plans to return to Germany and for his recent acceptance of the Service Cross of the German Eagle bestowed on him by Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering.

As Lindbergh was returning to the U.S., Arnold summoned Lindbergh mid-voyage asking that he contact him immediately upon his April 1939 return. Meeting at West Point, Lindbergh and Arnold discussed the European situation, where the General spoke of a new mission for Lindbergh. Meeting again two days later in Washington, Arnold asked if Lindbergh would go on active duty to study American aeronautical research organizations in an attempt to increase their efficiency. The next morning, Lindbergh accepted the call to active duty as a Colonel in the Army Air Corps, and began to assist in developing a long-range bomber. Lindbergh met with President Roosevelt and then embarked on an inspection tour, traveling through the summer and visiting laboratories, educational facilities, factories, and airfields. At General Arnold’s request, he also sat on a board charged with revising the Air Corps’ research and development program.

Lindbergh’s assessment of Germany’s threat and his new assignment did not, however, alter his conviction that America should stay out of European affairs. By 1940, he had become one of the most prominent members of the newly formed America First Committee, a group that advocated America’s complete abstention from the war in Europe – a stance they recanted four days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Lindbergh’s involvement with the organization and his isolationist speeches stymied his attempts to aid the war effort. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he contacted Arnold again offering his services, without response. Lindbergh finally met with Arnold and the assistant secretary of war, and wrote letters to President Roosevelt. Not only was Lindbergh denied a military commission by FDR himself, but the president also dissuaded aviation manufacturers from working with Lindbergh. Finally, in 1942, Lindbergh became an advisor to Henry Ford who was manufacturing the B-24 “Liberator” bomber. The following year he became a consultant to United Aircraft and, as their civilian technical advisor in the Pacific Theater, accompanied marines on 50 combat missions.

Commissioned into the infantry after graduating from West Point, Arnold’s interest in aviation prompted him to transfer to the Signal Corps where he received flight instruction from the Wright brothers. He became one of the Signal Corps’ Aeronautical Division’s first flight instructors and broke a number of aviation records. He was in the midst of organizing his first command, the 7th Aero Squadron when the United States entered World War I. As a result, Arnold became the youngest colonel in the Army, and in that capacity greatly advanced the Army’s use of airplanes. After the war, he continued to oversee research and development but his career advancement was delayed by a political struggle over which armed service should oversee aviation. Finally, in 1938, President Roosevelt appointed him chief of the Army Air Corps. Although Arnold was occasionally at odds with FDR (such as after the 1939 repeal of the Neutrality Act when he objected to Roosevelt’s diverting aircraft to Britain), he found in the president a staunch ally in his goal to build up the U.S. Army’s air defenses. By 1942, Roosevelt had eschewed the chain of command to seek out Arnold’s advice on a variety of strategic matters. Arnold had earned Roosevelt’s confidence, and with his backing, Arnold was able to aggressively pursue development of a B-29 program, which dramatically influenced the course of the war.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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$2,000 $2,999 $200
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