Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Wilson, Woodrow (1856-1924) [Presidential commutation of the sentence of Otto Bruno Reichelt, convicted of violating the Espionage Act on 4 October 1918]

High-resolution images are available to schools and libraries via subscription to American History, 1493-1943. Check to see if your school or library already has a subscription. Or click here for more information. You may also order a pdf of the image from us here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04549 Author/Creator: Wilson, Woodrow (1856-1924) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Document signed Date: 22 April 1919 Pagination: 2 p. Order a Copy

Reichelt was convicted in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey, for violation of the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917, and sentenced to eight years in the State Penitentiary at Baltimore, Maryland. Wilson commuted his sentence to end at once, no reason given for clemency. Countersigned by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer. Printed document with blanks filled in with type.

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Palmer, Alexander Mitchell, 1872-1936

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources