David Ben-Gurion - Five Handwritten Letters on Political Subjects, 1954-1964

David Ben-Gurion - Five Handwritten Letters on Political Subjects, 1954-1964
Five letters in the handwriting and signature of David Ben-Gurion. Sde Boker, Tel Hashomer and Tel Aviv, 1954-1964.
Interesting letters, mostly concerning political issues. Three of the letters are addressed to then Prime Minister Moshe Sharett.
1. Letter to Knesset member Yohanan Bader (one of the founders of the Herut movement). Sde Boker, February 1954.
The letter concerns Yehoshua Cohen (1922-1986), a member of the Lehi paramilitary organization (took part in the assassination of Folke Bernadotte), a founder of Sde Boker and Ben-Gurion's bodyguard at Sde Boker.
2. Letter to Prime Minister Moshe Sharett. Tel Hashomer, July 1954.
In the letter Ben-Gurion expresses his position regarding the Mizrahi movement and Agudat Israel: "The government shouldn't be alarmed into acknowledging any monopoly or guardianship of HaMizrahi or Aguda over the Jewish religion. In a democratic state each citizen is entitled to be a religious Jew without need of a 'visa' from these parties…".
3. Letter to Prime Minister Moshe Sharett. Sde Boker, September 1954.
In the letter Ben-Gurion argues that the Israeli electoral system should be changed: "The current electoral system is a travesty of the idea of democracy, it increases division and factions in the people… it is time we stabilize our country's democracy and replace the relative elections with district elections according to the British system - and thus achieve a bipartisan regime in Israel".
4. Letter to Prime Minister Moshe Sharett. Sde Boker, January 1955.
In his letter Ben-Gurion responds to the question of whether Defense Minister Pinhas Lavon had the authority to approve the purchase of a floating dock without the government's consent.
5. Letter to Israel Bergman from Kiryat Hayim. Tel Aviv, November 1964.
The letter concerns the Lavon Affair (the "Unfortunate Affair"). "Already in 1960 Lavon came to me and asked me to declare he was innocent of any crime in the 'Unfortunate Affair'… I said to him that I don't find him guilty, but that I am not a judge, and I cannot exonerate him…".
[5] leaves (written on one side), 20 cm. Good overall condition. Filing holes to margins of all the letters. Folding marks. Slight defects.