In our age of instant messages and quick emails, the art of writing letters might seem like a relic from a bygone era. Yet, for centuries, it was the primary way to communicate across distances. These written exchanges offer an unparalleled peek into the private lives and thoughts of historical figures. Nearly every famous person has left behind an archive of their correspondence, revealing much more than their public personas.
Letters can uncover opinions they never shared openly and highlight unexpected connections between them. When we delve into the mailboxes of the rich, powerful, and celebrated, we often find surprising and intriguing pairings. From attempts to sway world leaders to secret admirers and influential pen pals, here are ten little-known instances of famous figures writing to each other.
10. Einstein and Freud
Imagine a world where brilliant minds collaborate to solve humanity’s biggest challenges, like war. This was the vision of the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation. In 1932, they sponsored a letter exchange between physicist Albert Einstein and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. Titled “Why War?,” the correspondence began with Einstein asking Freud for insights into human psychology. He hoped to understand if world peace was achievable or if violence was an inherent part of the human brain. The two luminaries discussed war’s history, its role in politics, and their hopes for the League of Nations.
Unfortunately, this exchange between two leading thinkers didn’t bring about world peace. The letters didn’t even achieve wide circulation as expected. Published in 1933, the same year Hitler rose to power, their work was quickly targeted. The Nazis aimed to discredit both Einstein and Freud, who were Jewish and pacifists. [1]
9. Gandhi and Hitler
Einstein and Freud weren’t the only pacifists striving to prevent another global conflict. A few years later, in 1939, Mahatma Gandhi took up his pen from across the world. His approach was more direct: he wrote to Adolf Hitler. This was a desperate attempt after failing to persuade Mussolini in person earlier. War seemed unavoidable. Despite his opposition to colonial rule, Gandhi didn’t want to see Europe devastated, nor did he wish for India’s freedom to come from England’s destruction.
Feeling a moral obligation, Gandhi tried to avert the conflict. He pointed out to Hitler the “considerable success” he had achieved without war, questioning if any goal was worth reducing humanity to savagery. Tragically, the colonial government forbade him from sending the letter. Its somewhat apologetic tone suggests Gandhi anticipated Hitler’s likely response. He tried again in late 1940, but with the same outcome. [2]
8. Henry Ford and Gandhi
Gandhi’s pacifism and the triumph of his civil disobedience campaign earned admiration from an unexpected quarter: Henry Ford. One of the world’s richest men, Ford was ironically manufacturing bomber planes for World War II. However, he had succumbed to government pressure to support the war effort; his personal view was that the USA should have remained neutral. Ford disliked imperialism and, with his cars selling well in India’s major cities, he kept a close watch on the country. In 1941, Ford was so impressed by Gandhi that he wrote to him, calling him “one of the greatest men the world has ever known.”
Interestingly, Ford had allegedly received a letter from another famous admirer a few years prior. This one, however, was likely a hoax and certainly not from a pacifist. A 1934 letter, purportedly signed by gangster John Dillinger, praised Ford’s “excellent” cars, which the notorious bank robber frequently used. [3]
7. Churchill and H.G. Wells
So much ink has been spilled about Winston Churchill that it’s surprising this detail remained obscure until 2006: he was a science fiction enthusiast. He particularly admired H.G. Wells, author of The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. Churchill even used phrases from Wells’s works in some of his most renowned speeches and claimed in 1931 that he could “pass an exam” on the popular author’s writings. Wells might have even shaped Churchill’s political views, primarily through his non-fiction like Anticipations, a book of predictions.
But Churchill enjoyed Wells’s fiction too. He once criticized another of Wells’s books for being too thought-provoking and lacking action. After Anticipations was published in 1901, Wells’s publishers sent a copy to Churchill. Churchill responded with a letter stating he read everything Wells wrote. They met in person the following year and corresponded until Wells’s death in 1946. [4]
6. Abraham Lincoln and Karl Marx
One might expect politicians to engage with thinkers and economists rather than sci-fi writers. This was true for Abraham Lincoln, but some of his correspondents were surprising. Lincoln wasn’t a socialist or communist, yet he read Karl Marx’s works and even corresponded with him. Born only nine years apart, they shared a mutual friend, Charles Dana.
As managing editor of the New York Tribune, Dana hired Marx as the paper’s British correspondent. Dana later left the Tribune to advise Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War. In 1865, Marx wrote to Lincoln, congratulating him on his reelection and his fight against slavery. Lincoln replied through the U.S. ambassador to Britain, expressing that he considered Marx and his followers “friends.” This exchange was printed in newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, and Marx was delighted it made the bourgeoisie “shake their heads.” [5]
5. Mary Todd Lincoln and Queen Victoria
After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, his grieving widow, Mary Todd Lincoln, came under intense public scrutiny. People watched to see if she could maintain composure like a proper lady. By 19th-century standards, this meant showing no public emotion. Mary, now believed to have struggled with mental health issues and possibly bipolar disorder, could not. Reports leaked from the White House of her frequent wailing, shrieking, and emotional turmoil. Her countrymen viewed her actions as attention-seeking, but not everyone lacked sympathy.
In April 1865, she received a warm, handwritten condolence letter from a fellow widow across the Atlantic—Queen Victoria. The British monarch, who described herself as “utterly broken hearted” by her own husband’s death in 1861, had never met the First Lady. Still, she felt compelled to write, unable to remain silent while Mrs. Lincoln faced such a tragedy. The letter contrasts sharply with the cold, “stiff upper lip” image often associated with Queen Victoria. [6]
4. Catherine the Great and Voltaire
Another empress who corresponded with individuals far removed from her own country and social sphere was Catherine the Great of Russia. For many years, she was pen pals with the influential French philosopher and author Voltaire. Their entire relationship unfolded through letters; they never met in person. After becoming empress following her husband Peter III’s death, Catherine promoted the arts and reportedly saw herself as a philosopher of sorts.
This self-perception encouraged her to connect with the great minds of her era. Some, like Voltaire, already admired her and were eager to respond. Despite her authoritarian rule, Voltaire viewed her more favorably than the French monarchy. He admired her so much that he even kept a portrait of her in his bedroom.
The pair exchanged 26 letters, described as “intimate” rather than purely diplomatic. Their contents became public only in 2006, when a Russian art dealer bought them from a private collection in Paris for €583,200. [7]
3. Elvis and Richard Nixon
It requires a certain level of fame and influence for a hastily scribbled letter on airline notepaper to secure a meeting with the American president. By 1970, Elvis Presley had achieved that status. After flying to Washington D.C. in December of that year, the King of Rock n’ Roll delivered his letter to the White House. Just a few hours later, he found himself face-to-face with President Richard Nixon.
Elvis’s objective was to obtain a badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs for his police badge collection. To get this, he needed federal agent credentials. In his letter, he appealed to the most powerful man who could grant them. Elvis wrote to Nixon about his patriotism, his ability to connect with anti-establishment groups (as they didn’t see him as an enemy), and his studies on drug abuse and communist brainwashing techniques. During their meeting, Elvis presented Nixon with a pistol as a gift and, in return, received his coveted badge. [8]
2. J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King Jr.
Anyone championing social change can expect to face challenges and underhanded tactics, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was no different. One such challenge arrived as a letter. Though anonymous, it was known to originate from the FBI, then led by J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover had the FBI monitor King extensively, including wiretapping his home and office.
After capturing audio evidence of King’s extramarital affairs, the FBI sent him the tape along with an anonymous letter. The letter denounced him as “evil,” “a colossal fraud,” and accused him of “immoral conduct lower than that of a beast.” The tone and language went beyond mere attempts to discredit or embarrass King; the Senate Select Committee later interpreted it as an effort to pressure King into committing suicide.
King remained unconvinced. In a fortunate turn, the FBI had misjudged the media climate of the time. The press wanted nothing to do with the letter, and its contents didn’t become public until a decade later. [9]
1. Alexander Graham Bell and Helen Keller
While Alexander Graham Bell is famed for his sound-based invention, he was deeply sympathetic towards the deaf community. Later in life, he reflected that his work with the deaf brought him more satisfaction than his fame as the telephone’s inventor. Although some of his methods have faced criticism, his friendship and support for the deaf-blind author Helen Keller demonstrate his profound care.
Bell first met Keller in 1886, when she was still a child, and supported her throughout her life. She was a frequent guest at the Bell household. He often sent her money and established a trust fund that financed Keller’s education at the prestigious Radcliffe College. Around 1900, Bell learned to use a braille typewriter so he could write letters to Keller himself. This deeply impressed Keller. Responding to his first braille letter, she wrote that she found no mistakes and that it felt almost as if he had clasped her hand in his. [10]
These remarkable letters offer a window into the private worlds of some of history’s most influential figures. They reveal not just personal thoughts and relationships, but also the surprising ways paths can cross, even between those who seemed worlds apart. From heartfelt condolences to strategic political maneuvers, these correspondences remind us of the power and intimacy of the written word.
Which of these historical letter exchanges surprised you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
