A Rare Harry Truman Handwritten Letter As President To The Blind Marine Major General Melvin Maas: “Congratulations On Receiving The Medal. You Deserve It”

HARRY TRUMAN (1884-1972). Truman was the Thirty-third President. MAJOR GENERAL MELVIN J. MAAS (1898-1964). Maas was an United States Congressman from Minnesota, serving from 1927 to 1933. He also served in the Marine Corps and retired as a Major General in August 1952. In 1949, he became a member of the President’s Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped, and served as chairman from 1954 to 1964. In August 1951, he was stricken with total blindness, but continued to serve in the Marines. Maas won the prestigious Commander-In-Chief award twice, once in 1949 as a Colonel and again in 1952 as a Major General. ALS. 1pg. 6 ¼” x 9 ¼”. Feb. 12, 1952. Washington. A rare Presidential autograph letter signed “H.S.T.” on White House stationery. The Commander-In-Chief wrote to Maas when he was given his Commander-In-Chief award: “Memo to Col. Melvin Maas: Congratulations on receiving the Medal. You deserve it. Wish I could be present. I am sorry I can’t come. Best of luck to you H.S.T.”. The letter has two mailing folds and is in very fine condition. At the time of this missive, Maas was blind, but still gave important service to his President. The 1952 Truman letter is accompanied by the original envelope in Truman’s hand addressed to “Col. Melvin Maas”.