The Papers of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, Father of the Nuclear Navy
In our decades in this business, we have been privileged to meet and work with many descendants, relations, and heirs of famous historical figures, among them Dwight Eisenhower, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others. Catalog 75 contains our first listing of material acquired from the family of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, a Jewish immigrant born in Poland who came to America as a small boy, graduated from Annapolis, and went on to become a four-star admiral.
Rickover recognized that American national security required a more modern navy with longer reach and up to date technological know-how, and and was placed in charge of the American nuclear reactor program. In a career that spanned over three decades, he built the world's first nuclear navy, directed the original development of naval propulsion, oversaw the development and testing of all of the original Cold War nuclear vessels, and created the program that enabled Polaris missiles launched from submarines to reach anywhere in the world. He is known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," and is generally considered the most important Jew in the history of the U.S. military. Needless to say, these treasured possessions of Admiral Rickover and his family are being offered for sale here for the first time. Catalog 75 will feature letters signed by John Kennedy, among others.
