Lot 348

Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 348
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5
Vice Admiral Sherman Writes from the Mediterranean on the State of the Cold War
Vice Admiral Sherman Writes from the Mediterranean on the State of the Cold War
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5
Description:

Vice Admiral Sherman Writes from the Mediterranean on the State of the Cold War

Just days after the Soviets lifted the Berlin Blockade, Vice Admiral Forrest P. Sherman, in command of U.S. Navy forces in the Mediterranean, writes to military analyst and author George Fielding Eliot about Eliot’s very recent book on the Cold War and about recognition of communist China.

FORREST P. SHERMAN, Autograph Letter Signed, to George Fielding Eliot, May 25, 1949, Augusta, Sicily. 4 pp., 7.125? x 8?, on “Commander Sixth Task Fleet” stationery. Staple holes and indentations from paper clip; very good. Together with George Fielding Eliot, Carbon Copy of Typed Letter, to Forrest P. Sherman, ca. June 1949. 1 p., 8? x 10.5?. Some edge tears; general toning; staple holes and indentations from paper clip; good.

Complete Transcript
Augusta, Sicily / 25 May 1949.
Dear Eliot:
During my last underway period I finished “If Russia Strikes” and now want to thank you for it and congratulate you on a thorough and competent exposition of our problem.
I am not very optimistic over recent developments in Germany because it seems as if the Russians are attempting to use the end of the blockade of Berlin as a way to reestablish four power dissension as a device for retarding the orderly handling of western Germany.
This morning’s press carries our rejection of the Russian proposal to have the CFM take up the Japanese settlement. What disturbs me is the position of China in the Security Council. It seems to me that when Russia proposes to have the CFM, with China represented, handle any question, the next move will be to demand for communist china to be the government which is represented. I read that recognition of the communist government is being considered by England, and possibly by us.
I think we should steadfastly refuse to recognize the communist regime in China in order to avoid that increase in Russian influence in the Security Council. Is not this a question which should be aired and about which you should sound the alarm?
I am continuing to enjoy my cruise and we are being very active in all forms of training. I am constantly on the move—underway about two fifths of the time—and the efficiency of the ships comes up rapidly during their stay in this area.
I think our activity which is certainly watched closely has had much more of an effect than is generally realized, both on the Russians and their satellites and on the nations which are striving to continue on the side of freedom and democracy.
When are you coming our way again?
With sincere regards
Forrest Sherman

Excerpt from Eliot’s response:
“I am just as worried as you are about the situation in China. As you will probably have heard from other sources by the time you get this letter, our Chinese policy is now under review both in the Pentagon and the State Department, and there may be some announcement about it before very long. There are two schools of thought—one holding that we should trade with the Chinese Communists and try to woo them away from Moscow; the other that we should try to set up a cordon sanitaire in the southern and western provinces with a view to blocking off the Communists from Indo China, Burma and so forth. Obviously, we can’t do both. I am rather in favor of the latter course, but I don’t know what the final outcome will be.”

Historical Background
With the division of Germany at the end of World War II into four occupation zones, Berlin was 100 miles within the Russian sector. However, the city of Berlin was also divided into four occupation zones. In early 1948, the French, British, and American zones in Germany were merged into West Germany. In June 1948, Soviet forces severed all land and water connections into the French, British, and American zones of Berlin.

From June 1948 to September 1949, aircrews from the American, British, French, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and South African air forces flew more than 200,000 sorties to take supplies into West Berlin. The Soviet Union lifted the blockade of West Berlin on May 12, 1949, but the airlifts continued, even as ground transportation resumed, until September.

After World War II ended, hostility between Nationalists and Communists erupted in the Chinese Civil War. By 1948 and 1949, the Nationalists withdrew to the island of Taiwan as the Republic of China, while Communists established the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. For thirty years, the United States recognized the Republic of China as the only legitimate government of China. In 1979, the United States changed its diplomatic recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing.

In the Introduction to If Russia Strikes, dated March 4, 1949, military analyst George Fielding Eliot wrote that if the book “enables the reader to form some conception of the complexities and uncertainties which attend not only the conduct of war, but the conduct of military policy of a free nation in a time of peace, it will have served the purpose for which it was intended.” Among the thirteen chapter titles were, “What does the Kremlin Want?” “Could Russia Take Western Europe?” “Could Russia Attack the United States?” “The Submarine in Russian Strategy,” and “Could Air Power Defeat Russia?” The first chapter begins, “We want peace. But we cannot make peace with the present rulers of the Soviet Union.”

Both Sherman and Eliot agreed that the United States should try to limit Soviet influence in the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), organized in 1945 and composed of the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France, and the United States. Their purpose was to draw up treaties of peace with the remaining European nations and to propose settlements of territorial questions still outstanding at the end of the war in Europe. They met once or twice a year from 1945 to 1949. In their meeting in Paris in May and June 1949, they agreed to end the Soviet blockade of Berlin but failed to agree on German unification. They did not meet again until 1954, and met again in 1955 and 1959, but again failed to reach agreements on Germany. A meeting of the foreign ministers, except China’s, in 1971 resulted in an agreement on Berlin and recognized two German states, both of which joined the United Nations in 1973.


Forrest P. Sherman (1896-1951) was born in New Hampshire and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1917, a year early due to American entry into World War I. He served on various destroyers and a battleship before receiving flight training in Florida. He became a naval aviator in 1922 and studied at the Naval War College before service on aircraft carriers. He obtained promotions to the rank of lieutenant commander in 1930 and commander in 1937. In the early years of World War II, he served with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He commanded the carrier USS Wasp in the South Pacific until it was sunk by a Japanese submarine. He received the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in command of the carrier. For the remainder of the war, he joined the staff of Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Chester W. Nimitz with the rank of rear admiral and helped plan offensives against Japanese forces. In 1948, he was assigned to command the U.S. Navy’s forces in the Mediterranean. At the end of October, 1949, he was recalled to Washington to become Chief of Naval Operations with the rank of admiral. He helped the navy recover from the “Revolt of the Admirals” against President Harry Truman’s policies and oversaw the Navy’s response to the war in Korea and the cold war elsewhere in the world. He died of a heart attack in Naples, Italy, on a military trip to Europe.

George Fielding Eliot (1894-1971) was born in Brooklyn, New York, but moved with his family to Australia as a child. He attended the University of Melbourne and served in the Australian infantry in Europe during World War I. After the war, he moved to Canada and became a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He returned to the United States and served in military intelligence in the U.S. Army reserve from 1922 to 1933, where he rose to the rank of major. He resigned to have more freedom to write and speak about military affairs. He also began writing pulp fiction and crime novels. Although much ridiculed for his 1938 assertion that “a Japanese attack upon Hawaii is a strategic impossibility,” he accurately predicted the Japanese seizure of the Philippines and the island-hopping campaign necessary to defeat Japan. During World War II, he wrote books and articles on the war and military strategy that appeared in popular magazines and scholarly journals. He was also a staff writer for the New York Herald Tribune for many years, and served as a political and military analyst for CBS News. In 1949, he published If Russia Strikes, an assessment of the threat of the Soviet Union in the early years of the Cold 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.

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 Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 19, 2020 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