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Show '•"' '* / Y? UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN • DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN April 3, 1958 Professor Aziz S. Atiya Rosedale Road Princeton, New Jersey Dear Aziz, Please forgive my not answering sooner your good letter of March 22nd, As you can imagine, we had to go into a perfect spasm of activity after President Hatcher received, on March 21, Mr. Hashem's welcome cable authorizing us to request visas from the Consul General in New York. We have had a really hectic ten days making the various commitments which I did not venture to make before and getting everything packed and loaded into the University truck. By now you have probably seen the famous truck and its driver, Fred. I was really proud of the way that various departments of the University turned to and helped us get off. There is a great deal of general good will behind the effort to get us to Mount Sinai. There have been calls for publicity, but Kurt and I are still convinced that it is better to postpone public statements until the return of the expedition. Let me repeat my gratitude to you for making a special trip to New York to discuss with the Consul General visas for new members of the party and also for writing Mr. Hashem on the same subject. Also it was kind of you to write the Cultural Attache in Washington concerning the date of our arrival in Cairo. With regard to new members, Mrs, Durfee wrote me on March 28 that she had picked up from the Consul General in New York two application forms for a visa and had sent them to Man Nice in Washington. The Consulate wants him to fill them out and return them to New York, stating his understanding that you had made arrangements for him to join the Mount Sinai expedition. This is all in accord with instructions given Mrs. Durfee at the Consulate. She learned that Lt. John Alley will have to apply for his visa in Frankfort, Germany, where he is stationed. There is an Egyptian consulate in that city, and it was suggested that you might be willing to write a note directly to the consulate there, indicating arrangements made in New York. Actually, I wonder if the Consul General in New York would be willing to write his colleague ?n Frankfort, thereby saving you the trouble. What do you suggest? Alley would not plan to leave Germany for Cairo before the latter part of April, Let me close by repeating my sincere thanks for all you have done. I was really touched by your writing that you would "be glad to put the Expedition business before anything else in my academic life these days." With all best wishes to you al 1 from Mary, Hopey, and myself, As ever, George H. Forsyth, Jr. Chai rman GHF:rs T.o |