/internal/media/dispatcher/31374/fullForm thank you letter sent from President Kennedy about the Cuban Missile Crisis12/19/196210 1/2 x 8 in. (26.7 x 20.3 cm)PaperCarlos A. Hedstrom, Jr. Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza1999.019.0001.00010Form letter from the White House to C.A. Hedstrom, Sr. dated December 19, 1962.
The letter is a form thank-you note for previous "expressions of support and personal concern," sent to the president during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The salutation reads, "Dear Fellow Citizen," and the letter is concluded with an autopen version of President Kennedy's signature.
There is a little adhesive tape residue on the upper right side and the lower left edge. (R.B. 11/14/13)Documents6496620.320000000026.670000000011671LetterForm letter sent from President Kennedy to Carlos Hedstrom Sr. about the Cuban missile crisis, dated December 19, 1962. The letter is on White House stationary and is a form thank-you note for previous "expressions of support and personal concern," sent to the president during the Cuban missile crisis. The salutation reads, "Dear Fellow Citizen," and the letter is concluded with an autopen version of President Kennedy's signature.Cuban Missile CrisisLettersCubaForeign policyKennedy, John F.Hedstrom, Carlos A., Sr.White HouseWashington, D.C.DallasThis letter, mailed to Dallas resident Carlos A. Hedstrom, Sr. (1892-1972), was dated December 19, 1962. Since Mr. Hedstrom wrote President Kennedy more than one letter during the Cuban missile crisis, he received a second, nearly identical form letter from the White House less than two weeks later, dated December 31, 1962. Interestingly, the two letters are not fully identical photostats or photocopies. Instead, each one appears to have been individually typed. The spacing and autopen signature are noticeably different in each letter. Additionally, the December 31st letter capitalizes the word "Crisis" at the end of the first paragraph; the December 19th letter does not.
These two letters were donated to the Museum in 1999 by Mr. Hedstrom's son, Carlos A. Hedstrom, Jr. (1923-2014). A World War II veteran, Hedstrom, Jr. worked for Magnolia Petroleum Company, later Mobil Oil Corporation, from 1940 to 1982. In that capacity, he was invited to the Dallas Trade Mart presidential luncheon on November 22, 1963. In addition to his father's 1962 letters, Hedstrom, Jr. also donated to the Museum in 1999 his Trade Mart invitations and seat assignment card. He passed away on June 10, 2014 at the age of 91. - Stephen Fagin, Curator