SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
October 28, 1932. 
Dr. A. Yfetmore, 
c/o Dr. H. S. Colton, 
Flagstaff, Arizona. 
Dear Dr. Wetmore: 
Yesterday I had a visitor in the person of a 
Mr. W. B. Waldo, who complained that he and. a friend 
had been stopped by one of the guards from playing a 
friendly game of chess in one of the exhibition halls 
of the Natural History Building. He exhibited the 
chess board, a miniature one about four inches square, 
and said that he and a friend, Mr. E. G. Smith, who is 
reported to be a friend of yours, have from time to 
time over the last six months indulged in a friendly 
game of chess in the Museum building, such games taking 
place during the noon hour for the greater part and 
occurring every two or three weeks. He stated that the 
guard told him that he could not play chess unless he 
had permission to do so, and he wanted me to authorize 
him to play chess whenever the desire might arise. He 
was told that this question had never arisen before, and 
that it seemed most unusual, and my feeling is that we 
would certainly be very foolish to give anyone permis¬ 
sion for anything of that kind, since it would be es¬ 
tablishing a precedent which might be troublesome in the 
future. 1 am wondering whether you have had this sub¬ 
ject come up before and whether you have established any 
precedent for handling it. My own feeling is that if I 
had been a guard, I would have let them go on with their 
game unless they were utilizing space or attracting at¬ 
tention in such a way that their activities might affect 
other visitors to the Museum. The benches in the Museum 
are made to sit on, a.nd we' have no way of knowing that 
they are being utilized exclusively by tired visitors to 
the Museum exhibits, our main worry in this connection 
being an attempt to keep out the habitual lounger. 
