BRUCE C. HOPPER HARVARD PROF. - 1939 LETTER -HARVARD ARTS & SCIENCES FUND & MORE For Sale

We are offering a hand-written letter, dated November 11, 1939, from Bruce C. Hopper, associate professor of government at Harvard, to Albert J. Redway, Jr., Springfield, MA. The letter is on Harvard University letterhead with the Harvard U. envelope. Bruce C. Hopper (1892-1973) - was a WWI aviator, author, historian, lecturer, and foreign affairs expert, who served as an associate professor of government at Harvard from 1930 to 1961. Among his students were Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy. He advised JFK on the completion of his thesis at Harvard, which inspired Kennedy to write the book "Why England Slept", based on the information Hopper had provided for his thesis. Hopper writes to Redway about the upcoming "25th Fund" (we assume the Harvard Philanthropic Fund in support of the teaching, research and learning mission of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences). He says he is spending the weekend, including the holiday [Veterans' Day] to write a "heavy" article on Foreign Affairs. He has a "confounded cold", and says, "But when I think of the spirit in Holland, I loathe myself for even admitting discomfort" [complaining about his cold]. Next, he refers to Hitler's plans to invade Holland (without actually mentioning his name). He writes, "I can't believe he is going to break through Holland. If he does, it is the desperation of hopelessness". **NOTE** [On October 9, 1939, just weeks before the date of this letter, Hitler had ordered plans to be made for an invasion of the "Low Countries" (Belgium, Luxemburg, and the Netherlands) to use them as a base against Great Britian. As Holland did not believe that Hitler would violate Dutch declared neutrality, the country did not adequately prepare for a possible invasion and the subsequent Battle of the Netherlands.]