January 2016 Auction Ends Thursday, January 28th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/28/2016
Exceptional Orville Wright typed letter signed, dated 24 March 1928 on his personal stationery. Addressed to Senator Hiram Bingham, Wright defends his and Wilbur's reputation as inventors of the ''first flying machine'' and attacks the Smithsonian for trying to discredit them. Page one of the letter reads: ''The important point at issue is as to who was the inventor of the first successful flying machine. The Smithsonian for the past seventeen years has kept up a constant propaganda to take the credit for this away from my brother and myself. It has done this partly through some actually false statements and partly through statements so cunningly worded as to give a false impression without actually being false in themselves. This last resolution is a fair sample. It certainly can not be considered ingenuous....Such practice as this is beneath the dignity of a scientific institution, such as the Smithsonian purports to be, and such conduct on the part of an institution administering government bureaus with government funds certainly needs investigation by the Government...'' Wright then ends his letter on page 2 by writing: ''A good many people do not seem to grasp the difference between the first man-carrying flying machine and the first man-carrying machine to fly. There may be a big difference. Our pride was in producing the first man-carrying flying machine rather than in producing the first man flight. Wilbur and I did not take nearly so much pride in the fact that we were the first to fly as we did in the fact that we were the first to have the scientific data from which a flying machine could be built...I believe there was no one else in the world at that time beside Wilbur and myself that had the scientific data for building a machine that would fly.'' Wright's letter runs 2pp. on 2 separate sheets, signed ''Orville Wright'' in striking black ink. Included is a 2pp. joint resolution spanning 20 lines on card-style paper. Dated 29 February 1928, the resolution reads: ''the President of the United States be, and is hereby, authorized and directed to appoint a commission of five distinguished citizens of the United States to whom Orville Wright, and all other persons in any way interested, shall be publicly invited to present evidence as to which was the first successful heavier-than-air flying machine.'' Letter pages measures 7.25'' x 10.5''. Resolution measures 15'' x 11''. Folds in letter pages, small pencil note on first page and staple holes, otherwise near fine condition.
Orville Wright Letter Signed Defending His Reputation as Inventor -- ''...The important point at issue is as to who was the inventor of the first successful flying machine...''
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