SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON 25. D. C. 
Sand Island, Johnston Island Atoll 
November 13, 1963 
Mrs. Maryanna Smellow 
Pacific Project Secretary 
Division of Birds 
Smiths onia n Ins titution 
Washington, D.C. 
Dear Maryanna: 
I have been neglecting my duties as a correspondence for quite some time 
now but this letter and all of the enclosed goodies should serve to bring thing, 
pretty well up to date. If I hold s letter up much longer there will be an¬ 
other enclosure in the form of the next progress report! 
I think that your last letter deserves some comments, Maryanna, so here 
goes. As you requested all messages to DIG have been sent with info copies to 
Smithsonian. I will not go into a lengthy explanation of the message concern- 
irg the cargo flight s/pre ceding the last bird shipment since this can wait until 
I return to Washington. The letter to ^udduth concerning the unsuccessful bird 
shipment of Sept. 27 is enclosed. I felt that it was highly desirable to give 
him the complete story from this end as to why the bird shipment did not go out 
on the He did not get all of the facts from our talk by radio that after¬ 
noon so this was an attempt M to spread oil on the troubled waters* 1 • I certain¬ 
ly hope that this letter did not aggravate him or anyone else. 
The schedule that you sent came as quite a shock. When I left Washington 
I was due to leave here Dec. 7 and be back by the 5^. Pat and I made our plans 
accordingly. If there is some particularly urgent reason why I should remain 
here until Dec. IQ I would like to know what It is. If not I would appreciate 
a return to the original schedule. Also I would like to apply for leave from 
Dec. 27 to Jan. 3* We have planned for some time to spend the holidays with my 
family in Jamestown, N.Y. Since December is the month when the bird population 
is at an annual low (according to the crew members who have been here a year) it 
seems to me that two people can easily handle the work here. 
Our supply situation here is excellent. A box with the banding schedules 
C badly needed,, field notebook paper, checklists and three of the Seriese fun¬ 
nels arrived yesterday. The only thing that v,e need urgently at this point is 
a typewriter ribbon (you might send tvio or three). In your last letter, Binion, 
you mentioned that. Banko will be sending out memos soon. If possible you might 
put two or three new ribbons in one of the mailing envelopes along with his mem¬ 
os. I will try to let you know well in advance of our needs ir the way of supplies. 
The bird population has been falling off here considerably during the past 
