August 2020 Catalogue

A u g u s t 2 0 2 0 55 Presentation/Association Copy, One Of Only 60 Copies, President Truman’s 1951 Address Made At The Ratification Of The Japanese Peace Treaty, Warmly Inscribed To His Secretary Of The Army, Gordon Gray 53. TRUMAN, Harry. Address of the President at the Opening of the Conference on the Japanese Peace Treaty, September 4, 1951. Washington, 1951. Slim octavo, original half crushed russet morocco, uncut; pp. 12, [6]. $12,500. Click for more info Special limited first edition, one of only 60 copies with the text from Truman’s speech at the Japanese Peace Conference, printed for President Truman at Christmas 1951, an exceptional presentation/association copy warmly inscribed the month of publication to Truman’s Secretary of the Army: “To Hon. Gordon Gray, with best wishes for a Merry Christmas, Harry Truman, Dec. 25, 1951.” With his ratification of the Japanese Peace Treaty in San Francisco on September 4, 1951, President Harry Truman brought to a conclusion, in his own words, “a bitter and costly war.” That historic event is commemorated here in a special limited edition of only 60 copies. The recipient of this copy, Gordon Gray, was Truman’s Secretary of the Army in 1949-50; at the time of this inscription he was president of the University of North Carolina system. In 1954, he would chair what became known as the Gray Board, the controversial committee of the United States Atomic Energy Commission that recommended that Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance be revoked. Interior fine, toning to leather on spine and at top. A wonderful presentation/association copy.