Presidential Papers, Doc#59 To William Edward Robinson, 6 March 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower

Presidential Papers, Doc#59 To William Edward Robinson, 6 March 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower

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Document #59; March 6, 1957
To William Edward Robinson
Series: EM, AWF, Name Series

The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XVIII - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part I: A New Beginning, Old Problems; January 1957 to May 1957
Chapter 1: The Mideast and the Eisenhower Doctrine

Dear Bill: Today I had a "surprise party" at the south entrance to the White House. Mamie seemed to be master of ceremonies, but the guest of honor was the old Cadillac that I started using in England in the spring of '44 and finally was forced to abandon to the Army in the summer of '52.¹ Mr. Heller of the Abilene Museum was at the party to take charge of the car and put it in a suitable showcase at the Museum.²
For all of this I am told you are responsible--that you started the quest many months ago and had to follow it persistently before you finally got hold of the original car and could buy it from the Army.³
I cannot tell you how touched I am by this additional evidence of your continued concern for me and my welfare--even my whims. I am truly grateful.
Incidentally, you will be glad to know that the Cadillac Company did a wonderful job of refurbishing the car to put it back in the condition it was when I first used it, during the war. It is in the original O.D.⁴ color, with the five stars front and rear, and the flags of the United States, Britain and France decorating the radiator cap. The inside has been completely rebuilt and I imagine the car could start out on a fifty thousand mile trip right now with every prospect of finishing it successfully.⁵
Some day perhaps you and I can go out together and look over the Museum and see the car in its "permanent" home.
With warm regard, As ever

¹ Eisenhower had received the 1942 Cadillac sedan at his European headquarters in October 1944. He had used the car while serving as Army Chief of Staff, President of Columbia University, and Supreme Commander, Allied Forces, Europe. In 1952 Eisenhower had retired from the Army in order to participate in Republican preconvention activities (see Chandler, War Years, no. 2082; Galambos, NATO and the Campaign of 1952, no. 952; see also Ann Whitman memorandum, Mar. 6, 1957, AWF/AWD, and New York Times, Mar. 7, 1957).
² Sam Raymond Heller, a local business executive, served as president of the Eisenhower Foundation from 1951 until 1969.
³ Robinson and "anonymous friends" had purchased the car from the U.S. Army motor pool at an auction in Germany (see Schulz to Snyder, Feb. 7, 1957; Snyder to Schulz, Feb. 14, 1957; and Gruenther to Wilson, Feb. 13, 1957, all in WHCF/PPF 42-A).
⁴ Olive drab.
⁵ On March 9 (AWF/N) Robinson would reply that the car was in "perfect mechanical condition." Eisenhower's thank-you letters to the Cadillac executives and others who assisted in obtaining the car are in AWF/N, Robinson Corr.

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To William Edward Robinson, 6 March 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 59. 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/59.cfm

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