US UCLA Library Special Collections, A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library, Box 951575, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575. Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu. Phone: (310) 825-4988
Description
Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds. The telegram, which mentions Glendale and Kansas City, may be related to Rickenbacker's transcontinental TWA flight carrying air mail, the last one for commercial airlines before the army took over transportation of air mail. Eddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I, and had 26 aerial victories, making him America's most successful fighter ace in the war. He also drove race cars and designed the Rickenbacker automobile. He was vehemently against air mail transportation switching from commercial pilots to army pilots, saying army pilots did not have enough experience flying and was resulting in unnecessary accidents and deaths. Eddie Rickenbacker sits in an upholstered chair reading a telegram. In the background is a bar table. Handwritten on negative: Eddie Rickenbacker Some of the text on telegram: [illegible] FROM ITS PATRONS CONCERNING ITS SERVICE; WESTERN UNION; SIGNS: DL = Day Letter, NM=Night Message, NL = Night Letter, LC = Deferred Cable, [illegible] Cable Night Letter; Main Office, 608-610 South Spring St., Los Angeles, Calif. Always Open; [message:] [illegible] LOS ANGELES TIMES LOS ANGELES CALIF. [illegible] RICKENBACKER DUE GLENDALE BY AIR FROM KANSAS CITY [illegible] TO HAVE BEEN [illegible]ERED DIRECTION ARMY AIR MAIL [illegible] BUT REFUSED SIMILAR REQUESTS MADE LINDBERGH WILEY [illegible] WOULD SEE RICKENBACKER [illegible] [tagline:]The quickest surest and safest way to send money is by telegraph [illegible] Text from negative sleeve: Eddie Rickenbacker
Type
image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
uclamss_1429_2572 ark:/21198/zz002dcc7x
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Fighter pilots--United States Telegrams World War, 1914-1918--Veterans--United States Automobile racing drivers--United States Air pilots--American Automobile industry and trade--United States Rickenbacker, Eddie, 1890-1973
Source
Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection OpenUCLA Collections
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