Lot 354

Previous image preload Next image preload

Description:

Fascinating Scrapbook and Letter Archive from Future U.S. Senator during World War II

These World War II letters were written by Peter H. Dominick, future Colorado Congressman and U.S. Senator. Most from 1943 and early 1944 are from bases in the southeastern United States, where he served as a flying instructor. Later in 1944 and 1945, they come from India, China, and other parts of southeast Asia. In the spring and summer of 1944, Dominick flew missions over "the Hump," the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they made daily flights to resupply the Chinese war effort and American units based in China.

Marine Dave H. Goodwillie was among the very first U.S. combat troops to arrive in South Vietnam in March 1965. The remainder of this collection consists of letters by him to his parents in 1964 and 1965.

[WORLD WAR II; VIETNAM WAR] Scrapbook with colorful world map on front and back covers entitled "Total War Battle Map," drawn by prominent American illustrator and greeting card publisher Ernest Dudley Chase (1878-1966) of Winchester, Massachusetts. Contents include approximately seventy letters (most with original envelopes) in addition to photographs, ration books, newspaper clippings, and postcards. Approximately sixty letters are wartime (1943–1945) letters from Peter H. Dominick, addressed to his parents, Gayer and Eleanor Dominick, of New York City and New Canaan, Connecticut. The remainder are from 1964–1965, written by Marine Lt. Dave H. Goodwillie and are addressed to his parents Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Goodwillie of New Canaan, Connecticut. They are written from Vietnam, the Philippines, and Okinawa. Scrapbook, 18" x 14.25"; letters, various. Most of the letters remain folded in their original envelopes with expected folds and some tearing of envelopes on opening. Very good.

Excerpts:
Peter H. Dominick to his parents, "Marmie & Boss," n.d.: "The Dominick family seems to be pretty well tied up in air warfare right now. It makes me laugh when I think of how many times Bud said he would never get off terra firma."

Peter H. Dominick to his parents, "Boss & Marmie," May 1943, Panama City, FL: "The Army is a great institution & I heartily recommend it to all people suffering from insomnia, impatience or impetigo (sp.) But as for me I hope it wins the war & then lays an egg."

Peter H. Dominick to his parents, April 1, 1944, [India]: "Life over here continues in the same routine. They've been working us pretty hard since I got back from the rest camp & the monsoon weather is rapidly approaching. I gather it will be pretty tough as on my last flight I had some six hours of instrument flying, was navigating completely by dead reckoning, had a snow storm in the cockpit & St. Elmo's fire playing all over the plane! More darn fun & excitement. At least no one could say that the flying over here is dull! I'm still what they call a class 2 pilot which means flying over only in daylight & coming back at night & for my money I'm willing to say that way but I guess they won't let me after a couple more flights.
"I don't know whether I wrote you about the bombing the Japs attempted on one of the other fields. They were signally unsuccessful, not only not getting a chance to do any damage but also getting the innards shot out of them. I wish I could write the details as it was a pretty spectacular victory but Uncle Sam says No."

Peter H. Dominick to his parents, April 1944, [India]: "I have a great deal of respect for the Red Cross but I certainly wish they'd do something about the women they send over to India. They all look and act like Kansas school teachers with a mission in life."
"The war situation seems to be marvelous from all reports, not only in Europe but in the Pacific & here & it can't be too good as far as I am concerned. The Japs have made some local advances around here but also been driven out of a lot of territory & even the mosquitoes seem to be on the run."

Peter H. Dominick to his parents, October 1, 1944, [India]: "In the army – say nothing, volunteer for nothing – suggest nothing & make 6 copies of everything! And if you're a good forger make out your own going home orders & promotions & leave out the names as well as making 6,000,000 copies so you can clean up some dough too. And never, never, under any circumstances know your C.O. by sight!"

Peter H. Dominick to his parents, December 4, 1944, [India]: "While on leave I met the Lt. who did the actual searching for Townie & the crew, parachuting into the jungle twice & organizing search parties for two weeks. He has no hope for Townie at all though he did admit that there's a possibility that Jap patrols had picked him up. If that's true, he's probably been shot by now as they have a habit of disposing of prisoners that way."
[Collection also includes a typed letter by Dominick to "Townie's" family regarding the search for him.]

Lt. David H. Goodwillie to his parents, March 10, 1965, Vietnam: "Am currently located on hill 327 Da Nang, Viet Nam. We made a landing in the morning of the eighth and are now occupied in digging in defensive positions on this hill – it being the key terrain feature in the area, controlling all the country to the south and is also vital in the defense of the airfield (in Da Nang). There's no trouble to speak of other than an occasional skirmish in the distance. Our job is purely defensive – to make sure that nobody messes around with the harbour or airfield – as such the brigade of marines that landed here is to take over for the Viet-Namese units which have been guarding the area and free them for offensives at front against the V.C."
On March 8, 1965, the 9th Marine Regiment made an amphibious landing at Da Nang, while the 1st Battalion 3rd Marines landed at Da Nang Airbase. It was the first deployment of U.S. combat troops to South Vietnam.

Peter H. Dominick (1915-1981) was born in Connecticut, and graduated from Yale University in 1937 and from Yale University Law School in 1940. That same year, he married Nancy Parks (1919-2015), and they had at least five children between 1941 and 1954. During World War II, Dominick served in the U.S. Army Air Force in the China-India-Burma theater. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. After the war, he and his family moved to Colorado, where he joined a law firm in Denver. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican from 1957 to 1961, then represented Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1963. He served as U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1963 to 1975, and as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland in 1975.

Gayer G. Dominick (1887-1961) was born in New York City and graduated from Yale University in 1908. In 1909, he married Cordelia Eleanor Hoyt in Stamford, Connecticut. He was a partner in the firm of Dominick and Dominick in New York, a member of the New York Stock Exchange, and a director of several corporations.

Eleanor Hoyt Dominick (1887-1964) was born in New York City and married Gayer G. Dominick in 1909 in Stamford, Connecticut. They had a daughter and two sons.

David H. Goodwillie (b. ca. 1943) served in the U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War.

Stuart Goodwillie (1905-1967) was born in New Jersey and became a bond salesman. He married Julia H. Vogt in 1933.

Julia H. Vogt Goodwillie (1910-1969) was born in New Jersey. She married Stuart Goodwillie in 1933. She died in London, England, in 1969.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

April 14, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of up to 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000