June 13, 1939 
Mr. Gerard Plel 
Life Magazine 
Time A life Building 
Books? eller Center 
Hew York City- 
Dear Mr. Pi el: 
Blank you for your letter. The pictures and publications 
arrived safely yesterday. 
The real scientific worth of the material collected by many 
an expedition is not known until some years later. It takes time to 
study the material and get the reports about it published. Scenes 
taken during the course of an expedition are another matter. The 
pictures that I sent you of the new species should really have been 
newsworthy from the point of view of your publication because, as you 
may know, in science the names of new species, including of course 
those that were named for the President, actually date from the day 
that the publication in which they appear is issued. For instance, 
the mollusks date from today, June 13 th, the day that the publication 
is being distributed. That is why in my one letter to you I stated 
that those pictures could not be released before the 13 th of the month. 
Those species are new as of todsqr, irrespective of the date of collec- 
tion. True enough, the actual cruise is now nearly a year out of date. 
Does your organisation have a few words available regard! ng 
your policies with respect to pictures? Timeliness, I know, must be 
a guiding principle with you. 
I shall certainly bear in mind your suggestion and let you 
yourself know when next I return from a field trip. 
With kind regards , 
Sincerely, 
Waldo L. Schmitt, Curator, 
Division of Marine Invertebrates. 
WLSrLMc 
