John F. Kennedy’s WWII letters sell at auction
Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, (right), and his PT 109 crew are shown somewhere in the South Pacific, July 1943. (AP Photo)
A collection of letters John F. Kennedy sent to the family of a lost PT-109 crewmate has sold for $200,000 at an auction.
RR Auction, a Boston-based auction house, said the sale happened Thursday, during a two-day auction at the Omni Parker House that also saw the sale of a collection of letters that Kennedy’s younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, wrote to a classmate.
The letters from John Kennedy were to the family of Harold Marney, who was killed in 1943 when the PT-109 boat Kennedy commanded was destroyed by the Japanese. Kennedy, who became a war hero for saving crew members, sent condolences to Marney’s parents, calling his death a great loss.
The letters Robert Kennedy wrote were sent to Peter MacLellan from 1941 and 1945. They fetched $31, 250.
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