New York: Harper and Brothers, 1960
First edition. First printing. Presentation copy, inscribed on the first free endpaper: “To Senator Saltonstall / with the best wishes and admiration of the author / Burt Kennedy.” A very good copy, with a bit of wear to the boards and spine. The unclipped dust jacket showing traces of chipping and rubbing, as well as tape reinforcement to the verso between the rear panel and the spine. A very presentable copy still, with an extraordinary association. Leverett Saltonstall, a prominent Boston Brahmin, was the 55th Governor of Massachusetts and later United States Senator, serving alongside J.F.K. The admiration Robert Kennedy shows in his inscription was not uncommon: Saltonstall was universally respected across the political spectrum as a mediator between conservative and progressive sides, allowing him to very effectively draft legislation. At the time, R.F.K had just launched his political career with the efforts he describes in The Enemy Within. He was chief council and investigator of the McClellan Committee, in which he fearlessly exposed massive corruption and crime within powerful labor unions, namely the Brotherhood of Teamsters. In the book, he describes the Teamsters as the second most powerful organization in the United States, after the American government itself. Immediately following publication of the book, he would work for his brother’s successful presidential campaign. J.F.K would make him Attorney General, granting him full power to prosecute Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters.