Discovered Documents Show Chiang Kai-Shek's Desperate Gamble With Adolf Hitler
CHESAPEAKE CITY, Md., Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Maryland auctioneers Alexander Historical Auctions, known internationally for their military sales, will be offering a never before seen grouping of documents showing how Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek gambled peace with Japan in an attempt to gain the support of Adolf Hitler – and was snubbed by the dictator and losing China as a result. The 17-piece grouping includes Chiang's plea sent to Hitler by his personal emissary and his ambassador who repeatedly beg for a personal audience with the Fuhrer. They are rebuffed for months – long enough for the Japanese to take Nanking and end peace negotiations with Chiang. Chiang never learned that Hitler resented a treaty Chiang had made with the Soviets, and that he had placed more faith in Japanese military power.
An equally amazing lot is an excessively rare and unknown signed letter and signed envelope from Mao Zedong to his cousin, discovered by an antique dealer in a small auction where it was offered for only a few dollars! The letter was written in 1950 to Liu Linsheng, Party Leader in Hunan Province, and concerns the theft of wheat. Three experts have examined the letter, estimated at $100,000+, and have pronounced it authentic. Other related lots in the sale include two very rare first edition copies of Mao's "Little Red Book".
Another lot in the same sale shows attempts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to obtain an audience with Adolf Hitler for three of his "friends" – all wealthy oil men. In this case, plans are made for the men to meet at the 1936 Nazi Party Day rally in Nuremberg. These men would later be vilified for their pro-German stance, one being forced to resign following a boycott of his company's stations.
Also to be offered is a very rare copy of the collection of remembrances: "As We Remember Joe", the forward and lead essay written by future president John F. Kennedy. His brother Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. won the Naval Cross and was killed in action in 1944. John Kennedy inscribes the book to an aerial gunner who served in his brother's squadron.
Other items of interest include an iconic cigar and cigar case once owned by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; a huge selection of material from the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, including an Olympic torch, Silver and Bronze Medals, and the track bell used when Jesse Owens won three of his gold medals; a letter by Mohandas Gandhi labeling the Red Cross "part of the war machinery" despite having served within its ranks; a baseball signed by Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and 2,100+ more lots of historical items.
Bidding will be available live, by telephone, and at the auctioneer's web site.
Bidding is also available at websites invaluable.com and liveauctioneers.com. Alexander Historical Auctions may be reached at 203-276-1570, email: [email protected], website: historyauctioneer.com.
SOURCE Alexander Historical Auctions
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