In 1952, Marshal Rondon, explorer and hero of the Indians of Brazil, laments his memory problems.
- Letter written and signed by Marshal Rondon to Miguel Salasar Mendes de Moraes, also known as Miguel Salazar Mendes de Morais.
- In Portuguese.
- One page.
- 22 cm x 29.5 cm.
- No location information, 7/X/1952.
- In the front, some rust stains from clips, but excellent condition. of conservation.
- On the back are pasted some press articles - of no great interest - relating to Marshal Rondon.
- Unique piece.
I regret that my natural memory deficiencies have not allowed me to recall many episodes of the intense life that characterized the activity of the ever-remembered companion (Thaumaturgo de Azevedo).
Marshal Rondon (1865 - 1958) was the first to organize expeditions in the west of the country and to make friendly and permanent contact with the indigenous populations, of whom he became a defender. In 1910, he created the Indian Protection Service (SPI). In these rudimentary trips, in addition to discovering rivers and registering territories, he installed the telegraph in completely isolated regions of the Center-West and North, this “Brazil of the interior”, totally forgotten and unknown.
In recognition of his peacemaking work, a state, Rondônia, and a terrestrial meridian, number 52, were named after him. Rondon was also nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize, one of the nominations being made by physicist Prof. Albert Einstein. Former US President Theodore Roosevelt said of Marshal Rondon:
America can present to the world two cyclopean achievements: to the north, the Panama Canal ; to the south, the scientific, practical, humanitarian work of Rondon.
In this letter, he responds to Miguel Salazar Mendes de Morais, a military man who asks for memories of Gregorio Thaumaturgo de Azevedo, his wife's grandfather and the charismatic and controversial first head of the Brazil-Bolivia joint commission, responsible for demarcating the border between these countries. Unfortunately, Marshal Rondon, already elderly, laments his memory problems and seems unable to help his interlocutor much.
This letter is interesting because of the heading "Ministry of Agriculture, National Council for the Protection of Indians", because of the large and beautiful signature of Marshal Rondon and because of the information it contains. Written a year before he received the title of Marshal, Rondon was already widely recognized nationally and internationally for his actions.
