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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 (1925-1945) to Estelle Spero

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09120.438 Author/Creator: Diamond, Sidney (1925-1945) Place Written: Bougainville, Papua New Guinea Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 18 June 1944 Pagination: 10 p. ; 18.5 x 27 cm. Order a Copy

Diamond responds to the series of letters that he has received recently from Estelle. He mentions that he now has a punctured ear drum as a result of being exposed to constant and intense firing. He also writes that he cannot understand Natalie's embarrassment at being Jewish, explaining that his experience has shown him that "the individual of average intelligence won't give a damn and if he does have any ingrained views he'll stifle them once he knows who you are." He continues by stating that although he is "a mixture of paranoia, schizophrenia and various other mental disorders including a terrific inferiority complex" he has "never had any complex about [his] religion." He mentions that perhaps, another reason why he is there, is because America has been so good to his "people": "…we were able put four dresses on a wall and make it grow into a business and now the future of my parents is very bright…"

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