Page two. 
Dr. Wetmore. 
V>> 
Gazin would like to have your ideas as to what he should do, that is, whether 
he should turn to fishes or reptiles. I think his choice would lie between 
Dunkle and Savsin, and I think either would accept. My own feeling is that 
unless you see any great objection to our proceeding and filling the place 
as soon as possible, we should go ahead even in your absence; but we will 
naturally be guided by your wishes. 
Dr. Cooper has been turned down by Newell, Bell, and Furnish. 
Newell is now head of the Invertebrate Paleontology Section in the American 
Museum. Bell is Paleontologist of the University of Minnesota, and Furnish 
is in oil paleontology. Cooper rather has an agreement with Mackenzie Gordon 
of the Geological Survey that he would not fill the place without giving him 
(Gordon) a chance at it. Gordon was a P-3 but is now a P-4 due to his foreign 
service, and Cooper thinks that they will probably take steps to keep him 
at P-4 when he returns to this country. Cooper is of the opinion that Gordon 
will be difficult to get from the Geological Survey in view of the very 
large amount of foreign work they will have (through the State Department). 
I told Cooper that we might work up our foreign work to a larger extent 
and he said he knew that was the case, but that in the Geological Survey 
there was a little more opportunity for taking care of economic phases. 
Gordon is not a PhD., but he has a wide experience and according to Cooper 
is an excellent man. Cooper is also considering Loeblich, a young PhD. who - 
has just returned from the Army and at the moment is out of work. He is in 
Oklahoma at present. Cooper would like to make arrangements to have Loeblich 
come in for a talk so that he might have a better chance to size him up. 
Bassler knows Loeblich and is inclined to favor him. While Loeblich has not, 
done a great deal of scientific work, he has hardly had the opportunity, in 
view of his youth and the fact that he has been in the Army. 
I am inclined to believe that we can leave the selection of a 
second man in Cooper's division pretty much to him as he is quite critical, 
and I think he will insist on getting the best man available. Dr. Bassler 
has been ill for some days and I have not had a chance to discuss this with 
him. 
Jack Keddy was down yesterday and we had a general discussion of 
our testimony before the House and the Senate, as well as a long-drawn-out 
discussion with Dr. Ford of the American Historical Association. You will 
remember that Jack was a little critical of the publication of the volume 
dealing with the fur trade in the West, as he was under the impression that 
material of that type should not be published; and at one time he was a 
little critical of the Smithsonian for having permitted its publication. In 
our discussion we brought out the fact that we considered that the American 
Historical Society was competent to judge what they should publish, and 
that we did not feel that we had any veto power as far as historical matters 
