August 27, 1964 
AIRMAIL 
Messrs. Max Thompson end ?in Hoeman 
Smithsonian Party 
Nikolski, Alaska 
Dear Max and Vint 
We have been receiving your letters and enjoying them very much- 
end answering the® very poorly. Things are busy, busy here—all the cubes 
are full of people, there Is loud squabbling over t p>ewriters or use of 
assistants, and almost everyone Is asking everyone else "Did Dr. S’-' go 
by here?", but it : s great to have all those scientific types back. Next 
week the power will move to Kansas for the AOIJ and in October we will 
consider ourselves lucky to have a single m-n left In Washington. 
Now the question—what are you two going to do in October? I have 
delayed, looking for an s nswer for some weeks now but you have gotten 
indications of the problem from Banko and the droppings. There is still 
no definite a auranee that personnel and Jobs will come out even—but 
why don't you go ahead and ignore the D, C, and Honolulu problems.. - I think 
that you. Max, will have to determine how valuable additional effort in the 
area is. Both of you would be worked if you return to D.C.—Vin's 
experience of the At Sea cruise brings a gleam to Pat's eye end the thought 
of putting another real bird man like Max on lure puts a wistful smile 
on Ely's face. Other indefinites here are that Wislocki may leave at c ny 
moment, a 2-month cruise to the Line Islands aboard the Gilbert starting 
September 20 may be scheduled, a new man may join the project, the Marshall 
-crew may havf^to V cut down to 6 men and who knows what else. We could 
have 2 men "too few or 2 men too many—isn't that ridiculous? I think it 
unlikely that we will need both of you back but that's as far as I can 
possibly see into this he*y crystal ball. Hopefully we wouldn't need 
either of you, but I may not know until September 18 or so. 
As you are well aware, any information on Shearwaters, Petrels, 
Albatrosses to a lesser extent, and shorebirds would be very valuable. 
Collecting especially would be good, anything on food habits of these 
birds is important and band recoveries are needed. We don't need 
information, though it is interesting, on thr local aleids or gulls. It 
should be taken when available, of course, but hes no real importance. 
