Viet Minh military leader (1911–2013) who served as a principal commander in the First Indochina War and Vietnam War. Glossy 7 x 9.5 photo of Vo Nguyen Giap in uniform as a young man, signed in black ink and dated Vietnam, December 19, 1990. In fine condition, with some light surface marks and bends. Giap retired from politics in August of 1991, less than a year after signing this photo. An ideal pose of this key figure in the military success of North Vietnam. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
Chinese nationalist and military leader (1887–1975) who served the Republic of China between 1928 and 1975, including as its president for 26 years. Very early fountain pen signature, “Chiang Kai-Shek, Nanking, April 1932,” on an off-white 5.5 x 7 sheet. Expertly double-matted and framed with an image of the leader to an overall size of 16 x 13.5. In fine condition, with a central horizontal fold. After the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925, Chiang Kai-shek became the de facto leader of the Kuomintang and launched the Northern Expedition, a military campaign designed to overthrow warlords in the north and unify China under a single party. Chiang's forces successfully captured Nanking in 1927, and he declared the city as the national capital and seat of his government. Despite the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, most of Chiang's focus was on suppressing the Communists at the time he signed this in 1932. This example of Chiang Kai-shek's signature is extraordinary not only in its early date but in its composition, as it is the only 'Romanized' English example of his autograph we have ever offered. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
