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.

Diamond, Sidney, (1922-1945) to Estelle Spero

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09120.296 Author/Creator: Diamond, Sidney, (1922-1945) Place Written: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 25 November 1943 Pagination: 7 p. ; 20.5 x 27 cm. Order a Copy

Diamond reassures Estelle that his communicating with other girls does not mean that he is "deceiving" her. He tells her that her happiness means more to him, now, "than life itself." He describes the ten days and nights that he has spent training in the jungle. He also asks her to send him a lantern of some sort that will operate on gasoline or kerosene.

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