SI Bredin Exp, — Society Ids, 
February 1, 195? 
AIR MAIL 
m m I «wr ' II i mt rn W I >v wfr* ow n. 
Dr. Jack Randall 
Yacht "NANI" 
Papeete , Tahiti 
‘ . ; ’ • ' • . * ' - . . i • • 
Dear Dr. Randalls 
Thank you for your two letters of January 19 , January 26. I 
have just written to Mr. McConnaughey, asking if he would secure 
clearance from the insurance company so that we might employ you as 
captain. We shall meet your minimum figure, although I will be frank 
to say that I think the skippering the "Tl ¥EGA" is a much greater 
responsibility. Isn't she that large schooner yacht that takes these 
luxury parties through the South Pacific? However, I do understand 
your research responsibilities and that you would have to be tempted 
away from them. I am prepared to engage you forthwith provided Mr. 
McConnaughey and his insurance company give their approval. Definitive 
arrangements will have to await word from him. 
Here is hoping that in the interim you may be able to charter or 
find a purchaser for the "NANI” . It is too bad you may have her on 
your mind while with us. 
One last remark: I note that you are not anxious to make any fur- 
ther large collection of fishes, but we would like to count on you for 
help in collecting whatever we can get in the way of marine life, and 
that will include some fishes, I hope. 
From what you say, the problem of cooking is still with us. If 
the worst comes to the worst, we shall do our own and maybe fare nearly 
as well. Tom Bowman , whom I am hoping to sign up — he is our copepod , 
isopod, and amphipod man — served for a time as second cook in the Army, 
He is, therefore, quite a competent cook and good baker. I would not 
expect him to work full time as cook, but, certainly, we should not 
suffer as the result of his special skills. I can well appreciate 
your wife's reluctance, and my sympathies are wholly with that little 
girl of yours. I am sure your wife would be as unhappy away from her 
as the little girl would be away from her mother. 
Schultz is never reluctant to get hold of a good series of fishes, 
and, strictly speaking from our Museum's point of viaw, the more the 
merrier. If we did not particularly need them for our study collec- 
tions, they make wonderful exchange material. Leonard has done a great 
deal in that direction with his Bikini fishes. It is true that his 
problem, like that of the rest of us, is lack of storagespace, but we 
have the authorization and initial appropriation for a new museum 
