This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/26/2019
The 1951 Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act was an integral part of the American policy of containment of Communism. It required foreign nations receiving U.S. aid to place restrictions on the export of strategic and military items to the Soviet Union or to other countries which it felt would be detrimental to the foreign policy program of the U.S. Most if not all of America's allies engaged in some sort of trade with the Soviets that might fall under the law, so the act in effect could have made the continuation of foreign aid to American allies next to impossible. To avoid the unintended consequence, the law provided that the President could consult with the State Department and Defense Department and, on his own authority, continue foreign aid to a nation after "taking into account the contribution of such country to the mutual security of the free world, the importance of such assistance to the security of the United States...and the adequacy of such country's control over the exports to the Soviet bloc of items of strategic importance". The President was required to report foreign aid continuance determinations to Congress to make them lawful. Offered here is a Memorandum for the Secretary of State for the Under Secretary, signed by John F. Kennedy as President, dated May 6, 1963 on White House letterhead, in which President Kennedy invokes his right under section 103(b) of the Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act and sends orders to continue dispensing foreign aid to all of the United States' chief allies in the Cold War. A crucial document in Cold War history and U.S. relations with Europe, the orders include the Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Potentially the most important post-World War II Presidential document ever seen on the market, this is a piece not to be missed by history collectors. Well-preserved and in overall good condition with light toning, Kennedy's signature is extremely bold and confident as he signed this important piece of history into effect. Official stamps from the Executive Secretary of the Department of State dated May 7, 1963 are present on the reverse. Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services (BAS).