June 2020 Auction Ends Thursday, June 25th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/25/2020
Fascinating speech signed by Ronald Reagan entitled ''Encroaching Control'', delivered by Reagan in 1961 at the time he was expanding his political footprint via speeches to small groups throughout the country. Although Reagan was still a registered Democrat until 1962, the content regarding the threat of communism clearly indicates the direction he was moving philosophically. Speech reads in part,
''...We in Hollywood are not unaware of the concept many of our fellow citizens have of us...Ugly reality came to our town on direct orders of the Kremlin. Hard core party organizers infiltrated our business. They crated cells, organized Communist fronts, and for a time, deceived numbers of our people, who with the best of intentions, joined these fronts while still ignorant of their true purpose. The aim was to gain economic control of our industry and then subvert our screens to the dissemination of Communist propaganda...the Reds in our midst made one mistake in judgment. They mistook their ability to deceive for success in conversion...
Most people agree that the ideological struggle with Russia is the number one problem in the world. Millions of words are used almost daily to record the fluctuating temperature of the cold war. And yet, many men in high places in government and many who mould opinion in the press and on the airwaves, subscribe to a theory that we are at peace, and we must make no overt move which might endanger that peace...They never really intended to conquer us by force unless we yielded to a massive peace campaign and disarmed...Three months before his last visit to this country, Nikita Khrushchev said, 'We can't expect the American people to jump from Capitalism to communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving them small doses of Socialism, until they awaken one day to find they have Communism.'...''
Reagan signed and then gifted this speech to then-president of the American Academy of Periodontology after the future President delivered the address at its banquet in 1961. Speech runs 12pp. on twelve separate sheets, each measuring 8.5'' x 11''. Some passages underlined in red, possibly by Reagan. Rust stains on first page along left margin. Overall in very good condition. With a COA from University Archives.
Ronald Reagan Signed Speech From 1961 Regarding the Threat of Communism & Hollywood Blacklisting -- With University Archives COA
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