Presidential Papers, Doc#1694 To Clark Gable, 7 November 1960. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower

Document #1694; November 7, 1960
To Clark Gable
Series: EM, AWF, DDE Diaries Series

The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XXI - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part X: Ending an Era; August 1960 to January 1961
Chapter 24: "We missed by such a narrow margin"

 

Dear Mr. Gable: I learned from the paper this morning that you have suffered a mild coronary thrombosis.1 I trust that your recovery will be rapid and complete.

Presuming on our very brief acquaintance, I likewise offer one piece of advice--which is to follow the instructions of your doctors meticulously. I have found this to be fairly easy to do, except for the one item in which they seem to place the greatest stress, which is "don’t worry and never get angry."2 However, I am learning--and in recent weeks I have had lots of opportunities to practice!3

With all the best,4 Sincerely

1 The fifty-nine-year-old actor, who had appeared in some sixty films, had been taken by ambulance to the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital on November 6 (New York Times, Nov. 7, 1960).

2 Following the President’s September 1955 heart attack, his physicians had urged him to avoid situations that produced irritation, annoyance, frustration or tension (see Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, no. 1595; see also nos. 1, 97, and 442 in these volumes).

3 On Eisenhower’s efforts on behalf of Republican presidential candidates Nixon and Lodge see, for example, nos. 1675 and 1679.

4 It was reported that Gable was "delighted" to receive the President’s message. Although Gable’s condition was at first considered satisfactory, Gable would die on the morning of November 16 (New York Times, Nov. 12, 17, 1960).

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To Clark Gable, 7 November 1960. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1694. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/1694.cfm

 


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