A 1937 letter written by Mao Zedong, the Communist Party leader and brilliant guerrilla commander, to British politician Clement Attlee, then head of the Labour Party and future British Prime Minister, comes up at Sotheby’s in London on December 15. It is only the second time that a letter signed by Mao has come to the international market in latter years and it is estimated at £100,000-150,000. It is believe to be one of the first communications between the Communist leader and any Western politician.
Dated November 1, 1937, the letter was written from Yan’an, a remote part of north-western China where the Communists had set-up their headquarters following the full-scale Japanese invasion of the country. After stating Mao’s solidarity and goodwill to the British people, the letter calls for the Labour Party’s urgent practical assistance in the fight against Japanese Imperialism.
UPDATE: It sold to a Chinese private collector for £605,000
