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Dr. Wetmore 
The Committee gave them exactly zero for 1950- Jack suggested taking it up with 
the regents immediately, but I felt that since this is a working fuhd and the 
appropriation is Interior's, it is up to them to decide what is to be done. I 
understand they are meeting this morning and they will advise us shortly what should 
be done. A floor fight in the House would probably be useless, especially since 
Cannon is Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and he could have brought in 
the bill that he wants. We would probably embarrass him by asking him to have any¬ 
thing put back on the floor. It appears at the moment as if Interior will do its 
main fighting before the Senate Committee, which is probably the best thing to do. 
Incidentally Frank Roberts did not appear on this before the House Committee so 
it is strictly an Interior matter. I asked Frank whether Fred Johnson and Joe 
Brews are being notified, and he said that Ronnie Lee of the Park Service is 
calling them today. Out of the $180,000 requested for 1950? $69,000 would have 
been for Frank’s work outside the Missouri. 
The grackles came back into our pine trees on Wednesday, March 23. A swarm 
of bees seems to have taken possession of the squirrel house in the tree outside 
my window, all of which will*make it pretty tough for the squirrels next winter. 
The Noel article, taking a shot at the Smithsonian on the Kitty Hawk matter, 
is, of course, a lot of nonsense. No one has come down to discuss the matter 
with us, and I have kept quiet. After all, the subjects are quite different, the 
successful Langley flights being unmanned planes, whereas the Wright plane was 
man-carrying. , However, bhfey cannot satisfy everyone. 
Marion writes that they will stop digging on March 26, and then take a 3 or 
4 day horseback trip to see some of the mountain sites about which they have been 
hearing. They hope to spend two weeks prospecting in Veraguas and then return to 
the Zone about April 18 or 19. Their address in the Zone will be c/o Captain Snell. 
They hope to see you before they leave the Zone, and I am informing them that all 
I know is that you expect to be back here about the first of May and will probably 
spend a few days in the Zone before returning. 
I see by your letter to Mrs. Pearson that your collections are coming along 
in great shape. 
Very sincerely yours. 
Enclosures 
