2 
on Mr. Willard If possibles, especially regarding hie financial 
responsibility. This, of eaar®e t is very important, sine® It 
would probably be the first point on which yon would desire 
Information. Ton may be able to get information os t h i s point 
through Item or Bradstreet at Ogden, If any of the men wish to 
take extensive side trips and pick up the yacht at some later 
port of call, they can do that very easily bat will have to 
bear the expense of these extra trips themselves, 
I told Hr. Willard that while his proposition looted 
very enticing that there were several points which the S*ith- 
emlm. would hove to consider very carefully before they could 
enter on such & project, and that you wore the man who would 
have be settle It, 1 told his for instance that the Institu¬ 
tion had been stung on several occasions by innocently lending 
their name to publicity stunts or ooamerel undertaking, and 
that they were very slow to go into anything unless they were 
cur# that everything mm safe from this standpoint. 1 told Mm 
ala© that letting on® of our men go for eighteen souths «&# a 
■fep serious matter, sines we were badly m&mrm&ww& in all of 
■ deportment®, and we would have to be rather certain that 
valuable collection® would be received as a result of such a 
trip before ary of tbs curator® could fee taken from their pree* 
eat position of administrative and curatorial responsibility* 
I also told him that I was Cure you would be rather fearful of 
asking a^r definite premises for such, cn ■ extensive trip with 
our appropriation bill at its present state of uncertainty, I 
told him that we could hardly send a mm out on such a long 
trip without being definitely assured that he would be on the. 
payroll, for at least eighteen months la the future and that 
under present condition®, you were absolutely refusing to make 
commit*® h® which might extend beyond laXy 1. 
Mr, Ullard ©aid fee would writ® .you tad I suggested 
that he take up vary carefully all subject# relating to 
financial responsibility, hacking of the trip and related 
point#, because even if you found it possible to spare a man 
for this period, you would wish to be assured very definitely 
that the Smithsonian would not suffer as a result of partici¬ 
pation. X indicated also that it would be very surprising to 
me if such a thing could be settled affirmatively without & 
conference with you, and suggested that he should certainly 
arrange to see you. This appears to be rather doubtful, since 
he is planning to sign up his four scientists and hie guests 
by June 1st, 
