Letter from Alfred J. T. Taylor to Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 27 September 1921

^ Stefansson Arctic Ex. ^

^ NoAns ^

Sept. 27th, 1921.

V. Stefansson, Esq., c/o American Geographical Society, Broadway at 196th Street, New York, U.S.A.

Dear Stefansson,

I have just received your telegram of the 27th, advising your wishes in regard to publicity, and telling me that you are sending $1500. to-morrow.

I have had a talk with Brown, and he is running an article to-morrow, simply announcing that the party on the "Silver Wave" have reached Wrangell Island, and established a winter camp, and I think Brown intends putting this message on the Associated wire so that it will be run in New York.

While we are on the matter of telegrams, I believe from past experiences I have had with leekages through telegraph offices, that we should be guarded as to what we say in our telegrams as to the real purpose of the expedition. It is astonishing how people, who have no connection with the message, will get hold of information that does not concern them, and I think we should be more than ordinarily careful that there is nothing in our wires that could later reach sources that might embarrass us. You have a far larger measure of that most admirable quality of confidence in your fellow man than I have, but I once possessed a good deal more than I have now. My experiences of the last three years have perhaps made me more than ordinarily suspicious.

I will send you a clipping of whatever Brown runs in the "Province", by to-morrow's mail, and you can depend upon his hearty co-operation in the matter of publicity, and indeed I would suggest that, if there are any phases of the company's activities that you

V. Stefansson, Esq. -2- Sept. 27/21

would like to have mentioned from time to time, please don’t hesitate to let me know, because it is easier to get matter into the New York papers through Vancouver, than it might be by going to them direct.

Yours sincerely, ^ A. J. Taylor ^

AJTT : W