Draft letter by Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersohn – the Lubavitcher Rebbe, with many additions and emendations in his handwriting. [Brooklyn NY, 1950].
Lengthy letter (three pages), typewritten in English, with dozens of additions, corrections and emendations handwritten by the rebbe in Hebrew and English.
The draft was written three months after the passing of his father-in-law Rebbe Rayatz on 10th Shevat 1950, before he was appointed as rebbe. The name of the letter's recipient is not indicated, yet from the contents of the letter, it appears that he was an American rabbi connected to Chabad, who even had the merit of holding several private audiences with Rebbe Rayatz.
A letter of guidance and encouragement on matters of worship of G-d, with an interesting reference to the private audience which Rebbe Rayatz held with the recipient of this letter, in the presence of the rebbe: "[…] Your last interview with him, and I also merited to be present then, moreover, so close to his ascent to supernal worlds, though his influence endures in this world, should be considered in the nature of a last will and testament to you and me, as a guiding light to illuminate your path, the path we are both treading together, in life and direct your principal endeavors, into the right channel" (the emphasized words were handwritten by the rebbe, mostly in Hebrew; the words "to his departure from this world" were crossed out by the rebbe, and he wrote above them the words " his ascent to supernal worlds, though his influence endures in this world").
Further in the letter, the rebbe stresses that a person must balance his intellectual and emotional faculties, in order to reach the truth: "Our Torah teaches us that intellect  is not the main medium to reach the truth, but that man's whole being, in thought, speech and action, must be properly attuned through the practice of the Mitzvoth which apply to thought, speech and action respectively" (the emphasized words were added in Hebrew by the rebbe. Several words were deleted or underlined by the rebbe).
The rebbe concludes his letter: "I conclude with the hope that your desire to find an early opportunity to do some of the things which we both want to see accomplished would soon materialize, with G-d's help. With all good wishes to you and your family…".
This draft letter was written by R. Nissan Mindel (1912-1999), who served as private secretary of Rebbe Rayatz from 1938, and from 1950, of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for over forty years. Due to his comprehensive knowledge in Torah and Chassidut, his clear and flowing style and his excellent mastery of Hebrew, Yiddish, English and Russian, the rebbe chose him to formulate his letters in English. The letters were published in The Letter and the Spirit series, and translated to Hebrew under the title Moreh LeDor Navoch.
This draft shows how much the rebbe was involved in the formulation of these letters and the many corrections, comments, emphases and emendations that the rebbe added before the letters were signed and sent to the recipients.
This letter was presumably never published.
[2] leaves (three typewritten pages). Approx. 28 cm. Good condition. Filing holes. Folding marks. Open tears to upper margins (not affecting text). Creases and minor marginal damage.