Photographs Inscribed by John F. Kennedy.

KENNEDY, John F.

Item Number: 4428

Inscribed by John F. Kennedy as President, “For General Norstad With high esteem – appreciation, and very best wishes – January 1963.” A group of 7 gelatin silver prints of President Kennedy awarding the Distinguished Service Medal to General Lauris Norstad. The recipient was NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Matted and framed. The entire piece measures 21.5 inches by 17 inches.

A West Point graduate, Norstad served with distinction as an Air Force officer during World War II, before taking on a variety of roles within the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe following the formation of NATO. In 1956 he was appointed Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a position he held until 1963. During his tenure as Supreme Commander, General Norstad "gained the respect of President Kennedy for the workmanlike manner in which he oversaw the forces of the alliance during the 1961 crisis in which East Germany cut off East Berlin from the West by building the wall that seal[ed] it off from West Berlin" (New York Times).