T.E. Lawrence letter bemoaning international travel ban sells for $14,000
LONDON: A letter from T.E. Lawrence in which he complained he was no longer able to travel outside the UK, less than 15 years after his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, sold at auction on Thursday for more than $14,000.
In the letter, written in October 1932, Lawrence expresses his frustration after failing to obtain visas to visit a number of countries following speculation in the British press that he was working as a spy.
The predicament was a far cry from his “Lawrence of Arabia” days during the First World War when, between 1916 and 1918, he fought alongside Arab forces as they attempted to overthrow Turkish colonial rule.
The letter was sold in the US by Freeman’s Auctions in Philadelphia for well over the estimated selling price of $1,500-$2,500.
