"GO WITH ME BY AUTOMOBILE TO KITTY HAWK": RARE ORIGINAL 1939 TYPED LETTER FROM ORVILLE WRIGHT TO HIS FRIEND, EARL FINDLEY, ASKING FINDLEY TO ACCOMPANY HIM TO KITTY HAWK, REMARKING ON HIS SUCCESS WITH A NEW TYPEWRITER, AND EXPRESSING HIS LACK OF INTEREST IN A RADIO BROADCAST, SIGNED BY ORVILLE WRIGHT
WRIGHT, Orville. Typed letter signed. Dayton, Ohio, April 1, 1939. Single sheet of letterhead, measuring 7-1/2 by 10-1/2 inches; matted and framed with a portrait of Orville Wright, entire piece measures 21 by 16 inches.
Rare original 1939 letter from Orville Wright to his close friend, the journalist and longtime editor of U.S. Air Services Earl N. Findley, inquiring as to whether Findley could accompany him to Kitty Hawk; discussing his attempts to use his new typewriter; and expressing disinterest in a radio broadcast except insofar as it upset Findley, signed by Orville Wright as "Orville."
The letter, typed on Wright's personal letterhead and dated "April 1, 1939," reads: "Dear Earl: I am wondering whether your duties as corporal will permit you to take enough time off to go with me by automobile to Kitty Hawk about the 17th. If you can go, I will drive to Washington, instead of taking the train. I am writing this on my new typewriter, all by myself. So far I think it has done a pretty good job ofspelling [sic], though it is inclined to drop out a space one in a while. it tried to put one over on me in writing the date, this being April Fool's day, but I don't mind little things like that! I couldn't get very excited over the WOR [radio] broadcast. The only thing about it that worries me is your great distress over WOR paying so little attention to the protests of the exalted potentate of the [Smithsonian] Institute. I hope it doesn't get you completely down. I don't know how near I am to the bottom of the page, but I will stop before I run clean off. Next time I will try to have a better looking right-hand margin, and use my brackets [I have some.]. Sincerely, [signed] Orville."
This letter is addressed to Earl Findley, a journalist who became a close friend of both Wright brothers—unusually, as neither of the Wright brothers cared for journalists. During preparations for Wilbur Wright's flight over New York Harbor during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909, Findley crossed the police cordon in his excitement to secure an interview. The NYPD arrested him. When Wright learned of the incident, he asked Findley to dinner, where the pair became fast friends. Findley further distinguished himself over the years by crusading on behalf of the Wright brothers, challenging the Smithsonian's longtime refusal to credit them as the inventors of the heavier-than-air flying machine. (They credited Samuel P. Langley instead, whose 1903 Aerodrome did not fly successfully until 1914 and only then with modifications; the Smithsonian corrected their error in 1940). This action earned the trust and loyalty of the Wright brothers (as well as their sister, Katherine). Findley became a beloved friend of the family, striking up a decades-long correspondence with both Orville and Katharine. In 1915, Findley even began a biography of the brothers at the request of Katharine, a project that he abandoned after Orville objected to it. While Orville was generally known for being quite guarded, his letters with Findley reflect an uncharacteristic openness attributable to the strength of their friendship. Here, Orville Wright asks Findley whether it would be possible for him to accompany Wright to Kitty Hawk. The pair set out on April 18, along with Capt. William Tate; it was Wright's final visit to the site of his initial triumph. In the letter, Orville also discusses his new typewriter; the 1930s were the heyday of the electric typewriter and Orville clearly adjusted quickly with only a couple of errors. Finally, the letter mentions a WOR broadcast. Now defunct, WOR was a charter member of the CBS Radio Network and one of the most popular AM radio stations broadcasting from New York. Their story about the Wright brothers failed to touch on the controversy with the Smithsonian, which upset Findley. In the letter, Wright attempts to reassure Findley of the report's relative insignificance. Orville ends the letter in a joking manner, once again showing a side of himself not often seen outside of his friendship with Findley.
Fine condition.