TLS as first lady, one page, 6 x 9.25, White House letterhead, April 10, 1934. Letter to Delbert Clark of the New York Times, in full: "I am very glad to have this opportunity of sending a message to the women of Tennessee Valley. I congratulate them on the opportunity which is to be theirs of making a new community with the possibilities of doing many things which will make life not only economically sound, but interesting and pleasant as rural life should be. I hope that I shall have the pleasure of seeing some of the plans which I have heard so much about actually being carried out before long. In the meantime I wish you all success in this new experiment." In very good to fine condition, with light rippling, and small stains to the corners. Accompanied by a TLS by Delbert Clark to Col. Milton B. Ochs of the Chattanooga Times, complimenting him on a comprehensive and well-planned issue.



The first lady evidently makes reference to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which was founded in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of her New Deal programs. The organization was designed to revitalize one of the areas most severely harmed by the Great Depression, chiefly through the introduction of electricity to rural areas in Tennessee. The availability of electricity attracted many new industries to the region, including textile mills, which provided desperately needed jobs to women in the poverty-stricken region.