12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8l 



perpetuate with pride, by exhibiting his models and flying machine, 

 suitably labeled, the aeronautical achievements of its distinguished 

 secretary. 



It is unfortunate that in the past the situation has been beclouded 

 by patent litigation, in which the Smithsonian Institution had no 

 part, involving temptation for one side to exaggerate and distort 

 favorably Langley's work, and for the other side to belittle and deny 

 it. While bitterness thus engendered survives, it cannot be expected 

 that any label can be placed upon Langley's machine that will be 

 fully acceptable to everyone. The appended suggested label departs 

 from the customary brief title in two respects. In the first place, 

 it is much longer and goes more into the history of the exhibit 

 than is customary. In the second place, in view of the facts that' 

 the exhibit deals with the border line between success and failure 

 of man's effort to fly, and that the original Wright machine, a 

 purely American product and the first to fly, is destined to a museum 

 in another country, we have suggested that the label on the Langley 

 machine, also a purely American product and capable of flight but 

 not successfully flown, contain an explicit and definite statement, 

 which would be unnecessary under other circumstances, giving to 

 the Wrights the credit due them as the first to fly, on December 17, 

 1903. 



It is our earnest hope that this proposed restatement of the label 

 will prove satisfactory both to yourself and to Mr. Orville Wright, 

 with both of whom we have had such friendly relations on the Na- 

 tional Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and in whose judgment 

 and fairness of mind we have such implicit confidence. 



Respectfully yours, 

 (Signed) Joseph S. Ames 

 Professor of Physics, 



Johns Hopkins University. 

 (Signed) D. W. Taylor 

 Rear Admiral (C C.) U. S. N., Retired. 



