(AP) — Former California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to know who is trying to sell his father’s memorabilia related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Private letters and other items that had belonged to Edmund G. “Pat” Brown when he was governor are being offered by the auction house Sotheby’s, which estimates the value at about $30,000.
Sotheby's says the seller wants to remain anonymous.
Jerry Brown was not consulted or informed of the auction that starts Monday. He believes the items should be part of his father's archives at the University of California, Berkeley.
Sotheby's provided the following description of the lot:
"The material in this archive is unique, as it comes from a single source—then Governor of California, Edmund G. "Pat” Brown—and chronicles a country in mourning. The letter from JFK to Brown, written only a few days before his assassination, discusses the former's tax-reform program, which had been languishing in Congress. The letter from Johnson, written just ten days after he assumed office, takes on a more personal tone, with the President writing: 'I need your help and support in the difficult days that lie ahead, and I know that I shall find it.' And adding in his hand: 'Pat, I'm depending on you in the West.' Jacqueline Kennedy wrote to Brown expressing her gratitude: 'It is with the deepest appreciation that I write thanking you for the time and effort you have devoted to the oral interviews for the John F. Kennedy Library...I shall always be grateful to you for the part you have played in this project.'"
