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.

Fencil, Melvin, (fl. 1943) to Leonard Eugene Graeff

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09611.130.02 Author/Creator: Fencil, Melvin, (fl. 1943) Place Written: York, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 19 October 1943 Pagination: 2 p. ; 17.7 x 13.6 cm. Order a Copy

One letter from Melvin Fencil to Leonard Graeff, dated October 19, 1943. Melvin hopes that Leonard continues to like the Navy. He checked with the draft board and they have a "Certificate of Occupation" filed by Texas Co. He hopes that he will be in the clear and won't be drafted. He doesn't understand why the oil industry isn't considered as essential to national defense. He wishes Leonard well and hopes he gets into the officer school he mentioned in his letter.

Graeff, Leonard Eugene, 1920-2016
Fencil, Melvin, fl. 1943

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