UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 
ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY 
NATIONAL AIR MUSEUM 
NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL PARK 
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART 
NATIONAL COLLECTION OF FINE ARTS 
FREER GALLERY OF ART 
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE SERVICE 
CANAL ZONE BIOLOGICAL AREA 
SMITIISOXIAN INSTITUTION 
Wa&hinatoii 25,1).C. 
March 1, 19^8. 
Dr. Alexander Wetmore, 
Parita, Herrera, 
Republic of Panama. 
Dear Dr. Wetmore: 
I am enclosing several copies of correspondence that I am unable to touch 
because I don't know anything about the matters concerned. I am writing to 
Fenimore Johnson telling him that you are in Panama and that I have sent a 
copy of his letter down there but don't know whether you will be in a position 
to answer it before you get back. I am stating the latter in case you prefer 
to have this await your return. If, however, you want us to write him, we 
will be glad to do it if you will tell us about what to say. While I know 
/ nothing of your conversation with him, I believe if we are to charter a pleasure 
boat for scientific work, we should have something in the way of reports or 
other evidence so that we would not look too stupid if an Internal Revenue 
agent would come down and question us about it. There is also the question as 
to whether this is not a rather high charge from what we may expect to derive 
from the investigation. I will, however, await your decision on this one. 
The next matter is correspondence with Dr. Merriam's daughter. The copies 
of the letters cover hers to you of June 19^6 and your reply of the same month. 
She indicates that certainly some changes would have to be made in th&se’ manu¬ 
scripts since they were not ready for the printer; but from what I understand 
the changes required would be more than mere editing. I understand Matt had a 
| man looking into this material; and so far as I know, there is no record of the 
V results of that search here. Undoubtedly Matt would know the answer to that one. 
My reason for sending this to you is that in case we are going to turn down this 
material. We might as well let her know now rather than several months later 
if that information is necessary to the settlement of the estate. If you would 
prefer to handle this when you return, you may just lay it aside. 
/ Your letter regarding Erdman’s trip has been received and Schultz is 
proceeding to get clearance, including passports and the necessary shots. 
The matter concerning the Wright plane is still seething, but as yet we have 
no information from the executors. Waldo Fawcett, who incidentally wrote that 
editorial about you in the STAR, told me today that he understood that President 
Truman was going to send a committee out to Dayton to talk with the executors 
and then one of the committee was going to London to pack up the plane. It would 
then be put on a Havy vessel and brought back to the United States with great 
ceremonies. I told him that we had not been going overboard on plans until we 
knew for certain that we would get the plane. Waldo Fawcett wants me to write 
