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a letter written in cursive handwriting on a piece of paper
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Estimate €700 - €800
Sale commission
Description
MERMOZ Jean L.A.S. ‘Ton Jean’, [Buenos Aires, February? 1929], to his ‘Beloved Mum’; 2 pages, in-4, on Via Aeropostal paper. He’s feeling down: ‘My wonderful project, which I’d managed to get off the ground and which was on the verge of being realised, is threatening to collapse because of some dim-witted bloke, a ridiculous MP, Laurent-Eynac, who is refusing to grant me authorisation and is shouting from the rooftops that no crossing of the North Atlantic will take place using a land-based aircraft. Immediately, the company—not wanting to fall out with him—refuses to supply me with the aircraft, or else suggests going ahead on condition that the aircraft is sold in Buenos Aires as a foreign export and for an extra 200,000 francs! So you can imagine how furious I am!! I’ll have to sort it out myself and try to find those 200,000 fcs. If I don’t manage it, there’s nothing to be done – it’s all over. And I’ll be forced to put it off until I return in December. The Company is delighted, naturally, and to console me offers the prospect of some lovely trips. But that’s not enough for me”… He was appointed to the board of the Association of Aviation Professionals: “I receive requests from pilots and mechanics asking me to help them out of a tight spot. I respond as best I can, because I remember my own difficult early days all too well”… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family
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About the sale Historical Memories
Auction location
Auction time 11/03/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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