usnatarchivesexhibits: Letter from Fidel Castro to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 11/06/1940 

usnatarchivesexhibits:

Letter from Fidel Castro to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 11/06/1940 

Item from Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State. (03/05/1923 - 01/1961)

This letter from tweleve year-old Fidel Castro congratulates President Roosevelt on his re-election and asks the president to send him a ten dollar bill. Presidents receive hundreds of thousands of letters every year from children and adults sharing their concerns and well-wishes with him. 

Source: http://go.usa.gov/j82k

Transcription (Courtesy of the US National Archives Facebook page):

Santiago de Cuba, November 6th 1940

Mr. Franklin Roosevelt
President of the United States:

My good friend Roosevelt:

I don’t know very English, but I know as much as write to you.
I like to hear the radio, and I am very happy, because I heard in it, that you will be President for a new (periodo).
I am twelve years old. I am a boy but I think very much, but I do not think that I am writing to the President of the United States.
If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green american in the letter, because never, I have not seen a ten dollars bill green american and I would like to have one of them.

My address is:

Sr. Fidel Castro
Colegio de Dolores
Santiago de Cuba
Oriente Cuba

I don’t know very English but I know very much Spanish and I suppose you don’t know very Spanish but you know very English because you are American but I am not American.

Thank you very much
Good by. Your friend,

F. Castro (signed)
Fidel Castro