Eisenhower’s thank you letter to Bletchley Park

The secret letter which confirmed the importance of Bletchley Park’s World War Two intelligence operation is coming out of the shadows to go on public display for the first time, at Bletchley Park.

The personal thank you letter from Dwight D Eisenhower at the end of World War Two to Sir Stewart Menzies, wartime chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, spent several years hanging on the wall of the top secret office of the Chief of MI6.

In the letter, dated 12 July 1945, Eisenhower expressed his “heartfelt admiration and sincere thanks”, stating that the intelligence from Bletchley Park had been “of priceless value to me”, had “saved countless British and American lives” and had “contributed to the speed with which the enemy was routed and eventually forced to surrender.”

The letter hung in the Chief’s office during the tenure of Sir John Scarlett. He says “I was proud of this letter, but only came to appreciate the full significance of Eisenhower’s words after taking over as Chairman of the Bletchley Park Trust in 2012.”

Dr David A Hatch, NSA Historian, explains the letter’s historic significance “Within five years of this letter, Dwight Eisenhower became the first commanding General of NATO and within two years after that, he became the President of the United States. He used intelligence well (and) made improvements. It all traces back to the time of Bletchley Park that this letter represents.”