Yes, now 110,000. 110,000, now 120,000. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im on my way to fall river, massachusetts, about an hour south of boston. Im going to meet a man whos strange inheritance begins with his familys powerful connection to a future president. Im Dennis Harkins. Our mother passed in 1990. She left us with correspondence regarding our uncle harold who was lost in the South Pacific during world war ii. Dennis. Im jamie. Pleased to meet you. What is this place . This has to do with our inheritance. These ships. Mmhmm. Yes. Lets check it out. The Battleship Cove museum here in fall river has two of the last remaining pt boats from world war ii. Dennis uncle harold, who served on a pt boat, joined the navy in november 1941. He was the impish, typical younger brother. I think it was probably exciting for him. Then, a month later, pearl harbor. [ explosions ] with the u. S. At war, harold is shipped to the South Pacific. He puts in a request to join a pt boat crew. Pt is navy lingo for patrol torpedo. In addition to torpedos, the 80foot boats were armed with twin machinegun turrets, including one just to the right of the captains helm. They could lay low in the water, wait for the enemy ships to pass, and then attack them with the torpedos. The museums pt boat curator, don shannon, shows me around. Wow. Tight quarters. Why are they called the mosquito fleet . Mosquitos could infect you with malaria. So, they were deadly, and they were small and fast. By the summer of 1943, harold is stationed aboard a pt boat, like this one, near the solomon islands. Harolds captain 26yearold Navy Lieutenant junior grade john f. Kennedy. So, don, this is where john f. Kennedy, lieutenant junior grade, controlled the ship from. Correct. Right here. Can barely see over. And they operated in the dark of night . Yes. Four feet away is where harold was operating that turret. This really puts it in perspective. The idea was to go out and attack the destroyers and sink them. But no radar. The 109 did not have radar. So, you know, try driving down the highway at night with your headlights off. On one such night august 1st, 1943 out of the darkness comes the amagiri, a japanese destroyer traveling at 40 knots. 19yearold Harold Marney is stationed in that gun turret. Harold gave the alarm, ship at 2 00. The amagiri slices right through pt109. And right here, where youre standing, this wing tank actually exploded. Its hard to imagine anyone could have survived. Things happened so fast. He probably got sucked into the wake of the ship. Harold and a second sailor, andrew kirksey, didnt have a chance. The surviving sailors swim to a small string of islands and take refuge until theyre rescued six days later. Distraught over the loss of his men, lieutenant kennedy writes to harolds mother, jenny marney. What did jfk tell her . Dear mrs. Marney, this letter is to offer my deepest sympathy for the loss of your son. Kennedy goes on to write, i realize that there is nothing i can say can make your sorrow less. Harold had come on board my boat a week before to serve as an engineer. He fitted in quickly and was very wellliked. Jenny writes back to kennedy right away, thanking him for his letter and asking if its somehow possible that her son harold could still be alive. Kennedy responds, when the crew was finally united around the floating bow, we could find no trace of him, although every effort was made to find him. I am terribly sorry that i cannot be of more help or encouragement to you. My grandmother jenny, who we called mum, was from amherst, nova scotia. She was very english. She was very proper. And she feels shes made a friend. In early 1944, mum learns that kennedy will be back in boston to get treated for the back injuries he sustained on pt109. She goes to visit him in the hospital. You dont just get in to see jack kennedy. No. No. No, you dont. [ chuckles ] but somehow, she does, more than once. What they talked about, god only knows, but im sure they talked about harold. They probably talked about his brother joe. Jfks older brother joe was a naval aviator. When hes killed in a topsecret mission over england, jenny sends her own letter of condolence. Jfk writes back. It says, i want you to know how much i appreciated your card. Standard thank you note. But he goes on to say, i know you know how we all feel. Boys like harold and my brother joe can never be replaced. Incredible. And he says, i hope that i shall see you sometime again. Yes. In 1946, kennedy is elected to congress. Six years later, to the senate. And in november 1960, kennedy wins the white house, narrowly defeating Vice President richard nixon. The torch has been passed to a new generation of americans born in this century. Just three months after taking office, in april 1961, kennedy writes to mum again. He sends her a photo of a Memorial Wall at the manila American Cemetery in the philippines thats inscribed with harolds name. Kennedy closes his letter saying, if ever you are in the nations capital, i would like very much to have the white house and other Public Places here shown to you. Then comes that awful day in november 1963. [ gunshot ] president kennedy was shot today, just as his motorcade left downtown dallas. Its the end of the white house camelot years and the end of mums relationship with the most powerful man in the world. Jenny marney dies in 1973 and bequeaths her carefully preserved letters from kennedy to her daughter, dennis mother, elaine. Elaine gives the letters to her son in 1985, just five years before she dies. When i first looked at them, it was, oh, wow. And promptly put them in a safe deposit box. There they remain for the next quarter century. But a surprise phone call from a stranger will reignite this familys interest in their unique inheritance. I got on the phone and left this very strange message. Are you the nephew of pt109 crew member harold w. Marney . Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Whats the most expensive piece of president ial memorabilia ever sold at auction . Is it washingtons personally annotated draft copy of the constitution, lincolns signed emancipation proclamation, or fdrs date of infamy speech with his handwritten notes . The answer in a moment. All around the world, we are one, we are one all around the world, we are one so where did we all go wrong . Woo where did we all, where did we all go wrong . Love, love, love, love love, love, love so, whats the most expensive piece of president ial memorabilia . Its a, George Washingtons personally annotated draft copy of the constitution. It sold for nearly 10 million in 2012. For years, jenny marney corresponds with john f. Kennedy after her son harold was killed on the pt boat jfk commanded. They remain friends until jfks assassination in 1963. Neither Dennis Harkins nor francis piorek, who are halfbrothers, ever met their uncle harold. What i heard about my uncle was really just whispers and stuff. Oh, you know, uncle harold was on pt109, and john f. Kennedy was the commander. But when francis grows up, he catches the genealogy bug and starts posting messages online. I came to the realization that, geez, i didnt really know much about my family. And my uncle was kind of semifamous. Francis says hes looking for any unknown relatives of Harold Marney. His message goes unnoticed until 2013, when brian willette, the junior Vice Commander of a vfw post, petitions to place a headstone for marney in a Veterans Cemetery near springfield, massachusetts. I could not find him anywhere honored, and not even in springfield. And he was from east springfield. Brian comes across francis post from way back in 2001. I got on the phone and left this very strange message. Are you the nephew of pt109 crew member harold w. Marney . It was quite shocking to get a call out of the blue. In august 2013, that gravestone for uncle harold is placed at the Veterans Cemetery. It gets dennis thinking about those four jfk letters written to his grandmother that hes been holding on to for 25 years. Isnt time he did something with them . But then comes another kind of reckoning for dennis and francis. Their brother john dies of diabetes at the age of 57. It kind of makes you start to think about what do you want to do with the rest of your life, cause his death was unexpected. They retrieve the letters, which francis has never seen. And i was actually shocked when i saw what the letters actually detailed. Why now . The driving thing was the loss of our brother john. Yeah. It was like a wakeup, you know, cause i know im not getting any younger. These documents could be of significant historical value. And they could also be worth a lot of money. You had a big decision to make. Mmhmm. Yeah. I just kind of thought they were worth something. Um. Give me a number. What did you think . 30,000, 40,000, perhaps. Dennis didnt pull that number out of a hat. The son of andrew kirksey, the other sailor who died aboard pt109, sold his grandmothers letter from kennedy. That single letter went for 9,500. We had four. Was one worth 9,500 or was it worth 20,000 . I mean, we have no idea. But dennis and francis are about to learn that authenticating jfk documents for auction is a lot more complicated than they imagined. One of the most important things you need to know if youre ever gonna buy a john f. Kennedy letter is hes one of the most forged autographs there is. Is a jfk signature easy or difficult to spot a fake . Jfk is perhaps the most difficult. Thats next on strange inheritance. Heres another quiz question for you. Babe ruth is the most forged autograph of all time. Whats the most forged outside the sports world . Is it neil armstrong, marilyn monroe, or Elvis Presley . The answer in a moment. music music and splat sound music oops music music birds chirping uhoh. music music and patter of little shoes music and glass breaking sorry. music swells. music and loud glass breaking get on top of it before they do. About every 30 minutes tipped furniture or a falling tv sends an injured child to the emergency room. Preventing tipover incidents is easy, inexpensive and only takes about 5 minutes. Learn how to secure your furniture and tvs to protect children at anchorit. Gov. Its our most dangerous addiction. So we took our worst vice, and turned it into the dna for a better system. We created bionic and put the word out with godaddy. What will you change . Make the world you want. So, whats the most forged signature outside the sports world . Its c, Elvis Presley. Thats according to psa dna authentication services. For 25 years, Dennis Harkins keeps an old family heirloom stored away in a safety deposit box four letters written to his grandmother, jenny marney, from john f. Kennedy, three written by hand before kennedy became president and a fourth typewritten on white house stationery. In 2013, dennis and his brother francis decide its time to sell. Enter Bobby Livingston of rr auction. He knows anything associated with jfk can fetch big bucks. Kennedys a very important figure in American History, thus collectible. People really related to the kennedy family, and pairs of Jacqueline Kennedys shoes sell for 30,000. According to livingston, the brothers jfk letters hold their own unique value. And the reason goes back to that fateful pt109 mission. There are no other letters that we know of from john f. Kennedy where he gives his personal account of what happened that night. When someone walks in with john f. Kennedy letters, letters that no one has ever seen and never read, we get excited. But many a collector has been burned after plunking down a fortune for a newlydiscovered document that turns out to be a fake. Jfk is ranked by memorabilia dealers as the fourth mostforged nonsports signature on the market after elvis, the beatles, and neil armstrong. So, how does a handwriting authenticator gives his stamp of approval on these letters . Is a jfk signature easy or difficult to spot a fake . Jfk is perhaps the most difficult. 80 of the process is does the signature and handwriting match known exemplars . Jfks handwriting changed so much there was an entire book done in the 1960s just on kennedys handwriting. Why would he change his signature . His personality changed and his signature changed. And it changed more dramatically than any other president and pretty much most famous people. The brothers know the handwritten letters to their grandmother, going back to 1943, must be real. But bob eaton cant just take their word for it. He compares them to a known jfk letter. Show me. Ive got a letter from 1940, which is three years prior. And the similarities he always had a tendency, even later in life, when he made a t, he would continue. It wouldnt be a short little t. He also would break words up. Bob confirms the letters to jenny marney also have jfks unique t. But how do you authenticate the one from the white house . The president cant sign every letter by hand. What about that one . How do you tell its not a secretary . Most of kennedys letters from that time period were secretarials and autopens. But he had a bond with this family. And this is a real signature . Thats a real jfk signature. Youre 100 sure . I am 100 110 sure. So, how much are they worth . Weve never seen anything like it from kennedy, so we estimate it to be worth 50,000 or more. Wow. [ chuckles ] thats a little more than i had thought. Of course, anything could happen at auction. Was your heart palpitating . Just about out of my chest. This is our remarkable rarities auction. Thats next. Theres a company thats talked to even more real people than me jd power. 448,134 to be exact. They answered 410 questions in 8 categories about vehicle quality. And when they were done, chevy earned more j. D. Power quality awards across cars, trucks and suvs than any other brand over the last four years. So on behalf of chevrolet, i want to say thank you, real people. Youre welcome. Were gonna need a bigger room. Now back to strange inheritance. For 25 years, Dennis Harkins has kept his strange inheritance locked away in a safety deposit box these four letters written to his grandmother by john f. Kennedy after her son harold was killed on pt109. Its september 18th, 2014, in boston. Dennis and his brother francis are ready to sell. A small crowd gathers at a hotel while hundreds more are bidding by phone and online. Lets start now. This is our remarkable rarities auction. We started getting a little excited, maybe some butterflies as to what is this going to do. All right. Here we go. Here we go. Its a great lot right here. John f. Kennedy, pt109 letters. Oneofakind archive of kennedys letters to the family of his lost crew mate. I got 22,000. All right. Were starting with a 22,000 bid on the internet. Now 23,000. Remember, the preliminary estimate for all four of dennis and francis jfk letters was 50k. 45,000 on the phone now. 47,500. 55,000, now 60,000. They had the auction people there, and theyre hoopdeedoing and hollering and pushing. 90,000. 95,000. Looking for 100,000. Bid 100,000. Looking for 100,000. Yes. Now 110,000. 110,000. Now 120,000. 130,000. Holy cow. Wow. Looking for 130,000 now. 140,000 . But dont hammer the gavel too soon. The biddings not over. 140,000. Now 150,000. 150,000. 160,000 is the high bid on the phone. Looking for 170,000. And well say fair warning. Then the final call. And this is sold 160,000. Wow. On the phone. Wow. Thats three times more than the brothers had originally hoped for. Im flabbergasted, cause it just was amazing to watch it unfold. I would hope that the successful bidder enjoys them. Perhaps theyll put them in a museum. A young man makes the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. That legacy, he left for all of us. The letters his Commanding Officer and future president writes help lighten his mothers grief and, decades later, become a substantial financial boon for family he never knew a strange inheritance indeed. How hard to part with them . It was hard, but it was time. Like your old jalopy pickup truck. Its you love it, but its just time to let it go. Think its become time in life to move on. Dennis mum always relished her special relationship with john f. Kennedy, and she wasnt shy about calling in a favor, even in her later years. Family legend has it that when mum retired to connecticut and had trouble receiving her Social Security benefits, she turned to her friend, now president kennedy, for help. When letters on white house stationery arrived at the local Social Security office, officials there jumped to fix the problem. And from then on, mum always got her checks on time. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com. A precious heirloom. This was once the property of George Washington. Youre a v. I. P. [ laughing ] yeah. And the pride of a modest family. My father was a truck driver. We got along, but we were very frugal. So how did she end up with washingtons wallet . Are you a descendant of George Washington . No, im not. And its quite a long story. A story about love of country. We want these things because we want a connection to these men. The allure of big bucks. I established a value for the wallet. It was a lot of money. And some good oldfashioned intrigue. Someone took the wallet and disappeared. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im crossing the Delaware River from pennsylvania into new jersey. Yes, im following the route that general George Washington took to his big victory during the revolutionary war the battle of trenton. Im tracking down what i believe is the most intriguing strange inheritance ive heard of so far, something the father of our country may have been carrying that fateful night his wallet. My name is Barbara Farwell, and this is my daughter, linda. I inherited something from my mother, and on