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Marvelous vintage matte-finish 8 x 10 photo of Disney smiling and seated with a pencil in his hand, signed and inscribed in bold fountain pen, "To Arnold Tschudy, with all best wishes, Walt Disney.” In very good condition, with creasing, professionally repaired tears, and silvering to the dark areas of the image. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as "NM-MT 8." Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Phil Sears Collectibles.
The recipient, Arnold Tschudy, who served as the head of General Motors Corporation in Brazil and then later as the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, was hired by Nelson Rockefeller to head a special government project in South America during World War II. Around the same time, in 1941, Rockefeller, as coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, asked Walt Disney to make a goodwill tour across South America, hoping the universal popularity of his characters would help diffuse anti-Axis sentiments in the region. Disney agreed and took a group of his best animators and composers to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. In addition to exercising the Good Neighbor Policy, the trip was intended to lead to a new animated movie that could be shown in Central and South America to celebrate (and secure) their friendly relationship. The film would ultimately become Saludos Amigos.
