Correspondences dated 1949-1950 regarding Mount Sinai manuscript project commencement

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all of the necessary arrangements with regards to Customs, entrance of film etc. with the Egyptian Government. If you feel that it is possible to go ahead with this project, I would like to make the following suggestions : that you write an immediate letter to the Zrchbishop in reply to this letter of August 23rd thanking him for granting permission to photgraph all the manuscripts, then point out that the Library of Congress is a Government agency and operates on a strictly limi­ted budget of Government Funds and something to the effect that your entire micrO-film budget does not come to the tremendous sum of L.10,000 however that it might be possible to make available through some means or other the sum of $10,000 to the Monastery. Further point out the fact that it costs many thousands of dollars to provide anyonewith xx a free copy of the photographs and that if it is necessary to give the Monastery copies of all the photographs when they have the originals themselves it will be in all probability necessary to drop the entire project, and please point out the fact that there are many other large expenses involved in this project. It is necessary to pay salaries to specialised personel, to transport men and equipment from America to Egypt, to bring moto* transportation and mechanics to keep it in operation, large quanti­ties of motor fuel and supplies will be necessary as well as the great expenses involved for food, film generators and other miscellaneous expenses. Of course it is understood that many of the above expenses will be taken care of by myself through the American foudation for the study of Man. However it is still part of the project and although I have brought all this to the notice of the Arch­bishop it will mean much more coming from you written in French. I would appreciate it also if you would be good enough to reply KXKX directly to Profe­ssor Atiya in answer to his kind letter to you of August 24-th. Although I am certain that you are familiar with Professor Atiya' s published works as he is one of the world's foremost authorities on Medieval History, I am enclosing a little information with regard to fiis contributions. I am leaving Cairo for the States immediately on the first available transportation, going by way of the pacific so that I can stop off for a few days with my mother in California before coming East to report to you. The additional expenses involved over my direct return passage from Cairo to Washington will of course not be an expense to the Library of 6ongress. Please send me your immediate reactions to all of this to my home address in California where I should be in the next two weeks. Box 503, Route 3, CONCORD, California, U.S.A. Sincerely lours, Wendell Phillips.