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— 1930s —

1939

December 16, 1939
Professor Nelson Glueck
c/o President R. A. Kent
University of Louisville
Louisville, Ky.
Dear Nelson:

We have received the following telegram from A. T. Olmstead:

“North Shore Church Herbert Virgin, pastor, wishes Glueck to lecture either January seventh Sunday overflow auditorium promised, or January third, good crowd. Honorarium not indicated but sure to be good. Have suggested dinner before lecture when Glueck can talk with Krafft. Urge you accept if possible.”

In reply I have wired: “Glueck will wire you Monday or Tuesday regarding January third. Seventh impossible.”

By way of explanation, Kraft is the cheese man and already has an interest in Ezion-geber. The honorarium is probably not as important as the much large possibilities involved in the interest Kraft may develop.

Yesterday’s mail brought word from the Smithsonian Institution that they are interested in supporting your dig next spring. They have asked me to go to Washington some time after January 10 to discuss the whole matter. I add this at this particular time since Kraft’s interest might be along the same illness.

With best wishes,
Yours,
Bob

December 19, 1939

Dr. Nelson Glueck

162 Glenmary Avnue

Cincinnati, Ohio

Dear Nelson:

I have received your card from Austin and also your letter of December 17 with checks enclosed. Many thanks for everything. You must be absolutely dead by now and I hope you take the opportunity to rest up. You have done a wonderful job and we have had excellent reports from practically every quarter. This morning’s mail brought your letter of December 18 to Dr. Burrows which I shall simply acknowledge. He will undoubtedly want to answer it himself.

By now you have perhaps receive my letter in which I stated that the University of Southern California (Prof. Carl S. Knopf) hadpurchased the sherds published in your next Annual. The sum agreed upon was $400. This will explain my reference to the box going to Knopf. Incidentally, if my letter did not reach you, you will be interested in knowing that John Trevor initiated this deal.

We have written to the Cornings and will do the same with Bernard Flexner. They have been very generous. Mention will be made to Flexner of the $50 stone in his honor.

You will be glad to know that the State Department has written saying that you will not have to turn in your passport and that everything is satisfactory regarding your return to Palestine.

With best wishes to you and your wife from both of us,

Sincerely yours,

Bob

P.S. We are today sending sherd collections to Hicks and you. Yours is the one marked I/-. His is the best of the remainder. The other three will probably be disposed of shortly

— 1940s —

1940

American Consulate General
Jerusalem, September 17, 1940
Dear Dr. Fisher,

I have just had a long talk with Dr. Oliver and Mrs. Matson and I think we have arranged a program which will meet your wishes as well as those of the guests staying at the school Let me try to recapitulate as follows:

1) Mrs. Matson will take over entire responsibility for running what we have called the hospice side of the institution. She will collect LP 15 per month from each of the guests (half for children; plus 2 ½% for service) and she will pay all expenses and render me an account at the end of the month. I have given her LP 20 to start with.

2) Both you and the school secretary, Mrs. Pomeranz, will therefore, as you wish, be quite free from any responsibility in this field; but we would like you to a) close the accounts of the hospice as of tomorrow; b) pay off and dismiss the cook after breakfast; and c) when you have made up the accounts turn over any balance to Mrs. Matson. There is no hurry at all about the accounts but we feel it essential that the cook should be paid off and leave the premises after breakfast tomorrow. Mrs. Matson will bring her own cook at the time.

3) Mrs. Matson and I would like you to prepare now a list of the servants assigned to work in the hospice with their respective monthly wages. She will in the future pay them. As agreed between us this morning, she will have absolute authority over them all, both as to the giving of orders and us to dismissal. She knows your old cook, Shukri; will be quite willing to have him resume his position when he returns from leave, and believes she will have no difficulty in running the place with him there. If, however, he declined to cooperate he may have to go; but that is a question for the future which you and I can discuss should it arise.

4) As in the past laundry will be charged for as an extra, and Mrs. Matson will also see to it that the former system, with any improvements which she may find desirable, is maintained.

5) Dr. Oliver tells me that his father, who is now in Jerusalem, will be returning to Beirut tomorrow or the next day and that Mrs. Oliver will accompany him. His aunt has already made arranges to spend the winter at the American Colony. He himself hopes to leave the School for Baghdad next week where he will make arrangements for his wife and children to join him. The latter, therefore, will be staying at the school for another six weeks.

6) Dr. Oliver also says that he will be most happy to cooperate with Mrs. Matson in organizing a children’s playground at the north side of the building which he things should assist — though not assure — in maintaining added quiet at your southern end of the school.

Thank you again for the very helpful way in which you have met this whole problem. I feel that it can be made to work out much more satisfactorily along the above lines.
Very faithfully yours
Agd. George Wadsworth

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THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
OBERLIN COLLEGE
OBERLIN, OHIO
September 23, 1940
Prof. Nelson Glueck
Hebrew Union College
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Nelson:

It is a real relief to learn that you are back in these United States. It is good to have you safely back with us. We know that your family and Hebrew Union colleagues feel the same way. Best wishes to you as you take up your work in Cincinnati.

Many thanks for sending us the study collection of sherds and the copper ore and slag. We shall find them very useful, and already they have attracted considerable interest.

Despite the differences, your Moabite and Edomite fortresses consisting of rectangular enclosure with qasr remind me of the sort of construction which we found at Megiddo in stratum IV B, probably Davidio in date, when there was possibly nothing on the hill but the rectangular enclosure with its fortified gate and qasr, save for the “barracks” building just beside it, as illustrated in OIP XLII, Fig. 12. One recalls David’s Moabite ancestry.
Many thanks for your interesting news letters. Here is hoping that some day mankind will forget its wars, and a peaceful world will permit, among many other things, the continuance of such projects as those in which you have been engaged.
Sincerely,

—

Jerusalem, Oct. 7th, 1940
Dear Dr. Glueck,

I am very glad to hear that you arrived safely in America. I hope your journey was not too annoying.
Here things are settling down now after some upheavals. As you probably know from Dr. Burrows, Dr. Fisher was thoroughly justified in his attitude. The people staying here were really impossible. Before you left you saw Mrs. Hare and Mrs. Wilson. To that were added two other families both quite unconnected with the Foreign Service. One consisted of Dr. Oliver, his wife, his mother, his aunt, his three children and his two dogs. They are British, and come from Beirut. Surely you remember a Daniel Oliver during the riots, meddling in some obscure peacemaking. This Dr. Oliver is his son, a medical man connected in some way with the American University in Beirut. His eldest daughter is weakminded, but inoffensive. The other two children are nearer normal, but very offensive. The other family consisted of Mrs. Thacher from Alexandria and her four children. She said she knew you from a trip on a boat. She was wuite amusing, but certainly not the kind of resident of which the School Committee would approve. She drank by herself, and from the early morning, every day three bottles of beer, sundry whiskies, and went around town in the most diminutive white shorts. As her figure was excellent, this was not at all disagreeable, but I can well imagine the effect on one of our Summer Schools. I should add that we took in anybody reasonable who applied, as there were no consular refugees at all after you left, except Mrs. Hare and Mrs. Wilson. There is a nice balance of over LP 550 in the Hostel account, and we make about 50-60 pounds every month. [Handwritten note: (The Consul gave permission to take in now consular people).]

Somehow these people understood that the Consulate was paying rent for the School buildings, and behaved as if the place belonged to them. They took out of the Director’s sittingroom chairs and little tables into the garden, without asking anybody; they went into the kitchen all the time and bothered Shukri; their nanny went and helped herself to anything she liked from the icebox. All of them drank beer and whisky and soda, and demanded that they should be kept in the icebox; poor Shukri had to keep count of who drank what. One of the ladies had an affair with a Polish officer, which is nobody’s business, except that he left at three o’clock in the morning and regularly left the front door wide open. All these things of course are trivial, but together they create an unpleasant situation. There was a wild horde of children running around the place under no restraint whatever, screaming and running all over the flowers. The two dogs finished the garden completely. Everything is trampled flat. The children also “played with the goldfish, with the result that most of them are dead. The watertank in the garden has holes and is half full of stones. Also there were always difficulties with the meals. Part of the children had to have their meals before the adults, and part together with them, some wanted scup at lunch, some in the evening, and altogether it was a madhouse. A housekeeper was engaged, Mrs. Abbott, who had worked for Mr. Keith-Roach. I must say that I did not like her, but she was fairly efficient, and certainly cleaned the place up. The servants had got very slack. But the people were very rude to her, making personal remarks in the dining room, and treating her with studied insolence so that she gave up and left. Then Dr. Fisher sudden boiled over, having accumulated a smouldering rate for weeks, and gave the Olivers and Thachers their notice. This started the whole business, because they went to the Consul and complained, I do not know with what right, because Oliver is British, and Mrs. Thacher is in no way connected even remotely with the Foreign Service. The Consul started fuming about women and children being thrown into the street, which is a gross exaggeration, because Mrs. Thacher is very well off, and went to the Eden Hotel. It is true that she had to pay more than fifty piasters a day. Dr. Oliver was leaving for Baghdad anyway in a few days. The truth is that Wadsworth is frightened stiff of the damage Oliver can do to his reputation at Beirut, through his connection with the University and through his father. He actually said so: “What will people say of me in Beirut?” On the other hand Mrs. Matson has been bothering him through Mrs. Vester to find her a job, because they are practically penniless. Matson’s business is dying. So this seemed a heavensent opportunity to get rid of her. She came here to be interviewed, and wanted to bring her entire family and furniture here and establish herself for life. Of course Dr. Fisher did not agree to this. The Consul came the same day for five minutes to talk the situation over and Dr. Fisher agreed to take on Mrs. Matson temporarily without her family. Everything was still unsettled, when suddenly in the afternoon Oliver brought a letter from the Consul. The fact itself that he was asked to bring it to Dr. Fisher is already very insulting. This letter is the one I am enclosing. I must say that in my opinion it is quite incredible silly. Apparently he was not understood the situation, and at the interview finance was not mentioned at all. Certainly it would be impossible to hand over to Mrs. Matson the management of the hostel and the bankbalance. Dr. fisher phoned him up; I was in the room and could hear Wadsworth speaking. He was extremely rude and shouted Dr. Fisher down. He wouldn’t let him finish even one sentence. You know how inhibited Fisher is about his stammer, this about finished him, he was raging mad. Next day he wrote to the Consul explaining his point of view and sending back the LP 20 which are mentioned in the Consul’s letter. He agreed to take Mrs. Matson temporarily, as an employee of the School, and only in control of the immediate housekeeping money. The letter was firm but very polite. Up to this day the Consul hasn’t answered this letter, although he has obviously accepted it, because he was shown it to Mrs. Matson, and she comes to the office to render accounts every week, like a lamb.

I hope all this is more or less clear, it is such a long and involved story. You will be able to see a copy of the whole correspondence with the Consul at Dr. Burrows’. I sent him a copy on air-mail paper together with Dr. Fisher’s report. ‘Air-mail is sinfully expensive now. The situation at the School has settled down now. Mrs. Matson acts as housekeeper, renders accounts to me. Billa etc. are paid by cheque as before. Shukri stays on, also Khalil. Bishara is gone, he was a dreadful moron. Instead we have Shukri’s daughter, Aziza, who also waits at table, and Omar (from Miss Carey at Ain Karim) as houseboy, and a woman to scrub every day. The house is almost full. Mrs. Matson is quite efficient, except that she does too much cheeseparing, like using margarine on sandwiches, and heating up scraps and such other things. The only drawback is that she has brought in the American Colony. Mrs. Vester advises on everything, and we take in their overflow. Mrs. Matson intrigues to bring in her own tradespeople and servant but I hope she will not succeed. She gets a salary of LP 10.000 a month and her board. I hope also that Dr. Fisher will be able to break her of the habit of saying that she has taken over the Hostel and taking in people without asking him, and that he will put his foot down about the Colony. They are an awful bunch of crooks, and have been spreading all kinds of rumours about the school and about Fisher, and intriguing right and left. The best thing would be to get another housekeeper, but I suppose that would again bring the Consul in. Though for the life of me I can’t see why he has the right to interfere in the internal household matters of the School. All there is in the agreement is that we must take in consular refugees. This the School has done and is ready to do at any moment. It is really ridiculous what a mountain he has made out of a small incident like getting rid of undesirable residents. I can’t understand it, except that he is probably afraid of gossip about his management in Beirut and Alex. I am sure you would have got rid of them much sooner, except that you probably would have managed it in a more tactful manner. The attitude of these people was that they wanted to stay here, but went around the town telling everybody what a dreadful place it is. Jerusalem is terrible over crowded, not only with British families, but also with people from Haifa and Tel Aviv who are afraid of air-raids. There is not a room to be had in a hotel or pension except the King David and the Eden. The King David now charges two pounds a day and the Eden not much less. Ordinary poky two room flats somewhere on the roof which used to cost [?] pounds a month are now [?] as a favour for [?] pounds. So of course it is ideal to live at the School if you have a family of seven people and two dogs, and are charged only LP 15 a month, and have a garden and a garage and every convenience. In the circumstances it is not very nice to criticize every single thing.

In connection with the children I have forgotten to mention a few of their exploits. One little boy aged five threw a razorblade at a passing Arab boy and cut open his cheek!! You imagine the unpleasantness resulting from that. They also used to look Lady P.’s room and throw the key into the garden, and to leave notes in her room, saying: “Get out, we do not want you here”. Surprisingly enough Lady P. has been as good as gold since you left. She pays up without a murmur, and complains very little. Perhaps its only the contrast with the other people that makes her seem bearable, anyhow she has not been any trouble to speak of.

Your plans, photographs, and pottery ink drawings went off some weeks ago. I hope they will arrive in order, though you should not expect them before the middle of December. The post office said it would take three months. I also sent you by first class mail some air-photos of Tell el Khelifeh, which arrived surprisingly some weeks ago, with a letter explaining the delay. The photographs of the pottery are being out up, I shall be ready in a week or two and send them on. Your letter from India explaining what you wanted done with them arrived at the very end of August. Pinkerfeld’s index to his plans I sent by first class mail together with the plans etc. There should be three parcels, one with the plans, one with the drawings, and one with the photographs, and two letters, one with the air-photos, and one with Pinkerfeld’s index.

I am enclosing a financial statement of your own accounts, which is very much overdrawn, and also of Kheleifeh, which is likewise overdrawn, and not quite closed, because Pinkerfeld is still working. Also I am enclosing the yearly balancesheets, and a small scale copy of the monthly statements for July-September. I wonder wha tis supposed to happen with the money which used to be sent three times a year here to Jerusalem. The last cheque came in June. Now cheques from America are not cashed any more, only cabled dollars are accepted. The School Balance is getting pretty low owing to these various overdrafts. On the other hand the Hostel Balance is rising steadily. Perhaps the next School cheque would be cable to Jerusalem together with Dr. Fisher’s money. He owes now the School LP 200. On the other hand the Schools owes him by the end of the year two instalments of $250 of his usual salary and $600 of his extra salary as acting director, together $1100, or approximately LP 270. I believe he has written to Dr. Burrows, explaining this financial arrangement and asking that it should be called to him at the end of the year.

You will have heard about the excavations under the tennis-court from Dr. Fisher’s last report. The foundations of a large tower were discovered when the street behind the tennis-court was enlarged and asphalted. They connect up very well with the so-called “third wall” which led up, if you remember, to the gates of the School. Sukenik and Mayer are digging it, and the School is paying part of the expanses. I believe it won’t cost much. Up to now we have spent under ten pounds, and the excavations are almost over. What will be fairly expensive is filling in again those parts of the tennis court which have been dug up. Unfortunately when the street behind the court was widened, the Municipality sliced off 4.50 metres of the court in the back. It does not touch the court itself, but takes away all the margin. We could not do anything, as they are entitled to it by law. Also we have to pay half the cost of asphalting the street for the length of our back wall, and the whole cost of the sidewalks and the removal and rebuilding of our wall. Altogether it will come to about 60 pounds. Nothing at all could be done about it. I think Mayer and Sukenik are preparing a note about the excavations with a few photographs for the Bulletin.
I sent the yearly statements and the list of Library acquisitions to Dr. Burrows around the middle of August. I hope they arrived in order. Perhaps it will be better if from now on I shall send the monthly statements and reports by air-mail. It is dreadfully expensive, as you can see from the envelope, but at least it is safer and does not take three months.

Things otherwise are much the same. Prices have gone up a bit, especially on tinned goods. For the past month it has been impossible to get the heavy oil for the central heating. Now there is some again, but it costs [?] pounds a ton (prewar price [?]), and it is not certain whether the supply will be regular throughout the winter. We have laid in a good supply of wood, and if necessary will heat with paraffin stoves and wood in these shoot-iron Arab stoves. Everything is very expensive; the bl[?] arrangements for the School cost us about fifteen pounds. In winter you can’t paste over the windows with black paper and sit in gloom all day, the curtains have to be movable. But on the whole you can get anything and plenty of it, and, touch wood, we have not felt the war at all yet, though it looks like coming our way. People are still interested in archaeology and quite a few of them use our Library. British journals come, but nothing else, except an offer of exchange of publications with Moscow!

I hope this letter will give you some information about things here, it will certainly cost a fortune, but I wanted to explain everything. I did not write before about this business with the Consulate because I did not want to do so before Dr. Fisher sent in his report about it. I hope Mrs. Glueck and the baby are well. Please give them my love. I am sorry you left before I cam back to work. Communications with America are now just as good as they were then, and conditions here are such that you would have been able to go on a bit in T.J.

I shall be very glad to hear from you if you have time to write.
Yours very sincerely
Pommerantz

1941

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
May 15, 1941.

We feel certain that the lecture program of the American Schools of Oriental Research for 1941-42 presents an unusually fine group of speakers and titles. It is hoped that your institution will wish to hear at least one of them.
In that case please indicate the speakers in whom you are interested, the subjects you wish them to us, the available dates including time of day, and any other details which should be considered.
Each of our speakers is offering his time on behalf of the American Schools, receiving only traveling expenses. The difference between his expenses and the lecture fee will go to the Schools. Knowing this you will be in a position to indicate a suitable fee for any speaker you may wish to hear.

The list of speakers, with their geographical locations and their subjects, is given on the attached sheets. We shall await your reply with interest.
Ludlow Ball, Chairman
Lecture Committee

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May 31, 1941.
Dear Dr. Moulton:

Several days ago we received from Dr. Fisher the monthly statements herewith enclosed. You will note that they extend from July 1940 through March 1941. Also enclosed is a copy of his covering letter which has helped us to understand some of the figures and which doubtless will be of interest to you in general. We have gone over the accounts and at first had considerable trouble understanding them. As a result we have drawn up the School account for March, 1941 on the basis of the system used by the Provident Trust Company, with which we are quite familiar and which seems to be eminently satisfactory from the point of view of quick understanding. We would appreciate your reaction to our suggested new form of accounting for funds before Dr. Burrows write to Dr. Fisher. Following your suggestions and reaction, suggestions will be made to Dr. Fisher for the keeping of books after July 1, 1941, the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Our only real objection to the system employed at present is that monthly income and payments are not kept apart from standing obligations, such as Mr. Colt’s account, which appears as a receipt month after month. We believe it better to relegate such items as an appendage to the real monthly report. At such time as they may be paid in, they can then appear under actual receipts.

The items listed under the names Dr. Polotsky and Dr. Glueck in our rendering are actually cleared by now and have been paid into the Provident Trust Co. These we feel should not continue to be carried as debts to the Jerusalem School but should be listed in the statement which we have placed at the bottom of our trial arrangement. The Tell el-Kheleifeh item should presumably be paid out of the Kheleifeh account in the Provident Trust Co. and under present world circumstances should also be regarded as asset dollars in our concluding sentence.

None of us in the office know anything about the sums placed against Mr. Colt and Tell Seit Mirsim. Since Mr. Colt is in this country perhaps it might be better for us to arrange for collection than Dr. Fisher. As far as we know there is no TBM account at the Provident Trust and presumably the sum, whatever it may represent, should be placed in the budget for next year, or else drawn from the general account in Philadelphia and held for Jerusalem.
The question of holding money for Jerusalem may become acute within a short time. We now face the possibility that Palestine may be overcome and funds confiscated. We hope that this will not happen but we must be prepared for any possibility. Therefore can you inform us whether in the past decision has been made as to how much money must remain in the various School accounts for minimum purposes? You will note from the Hostel account for instance, that on March 31, 1941 it contained in cash LP 438.596. The question is, is it necessary to maintain such a balance, particularly if it might be jeopardized by invasion of the country. We believe it would be satisfactory to establish a set sum, if such does not exist, for Hostel purposes, with all over and above that figure to be transferred to the School account and regarded as prepayment on the next year’s budget.

With regard to the Hostel account, we feel that it too could be better arranged on the basis of receipts, payments and assets. In this connection we also note that on each monthly statement of the Hostel account there is included a service account. We do not understand what this implies but we have noticed that in the distribution of the balance the service account is kept rigidly separate from what is called the board and room account. The latter balance is carried forward each month but the monthly service appears to be lost from month to month. If you will itemize the receipts from July 1940 through March 1941 you will find, I believe, that there is a service account balance of LP 75.901. The office is not interested in what the service account stands for. It simply wishes to have all receipts and payments clearly stated with balances carried through from month to month. We suggest therefore, unless there be reasons which we do not know, that the board and room account be kept separate which we do not know, that the board and room account be kept separate from the service account and treated as the special account which it seems to be, judging from the break-up of the balance.

We have gone into considerable detail at this time since we believe that it will lead to greater clarity and understanding in the future. Please let us have your reactions.

In future we would appreciate it if you could have your letters to the Provident Trust Co. done by a public stenographer so that we may have a carbon, and charge expenses to your account. It frequently happens that information sent by you to Philadelphia would be most useful if we had it in the office. Perhaps it might be well to follow the same system in communicating with Dr. Fisher.
With best wishes,
Sincerely yours,
Robert M. Engberg.
RE/w
Copy to Dr. Glueck

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AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
May 31, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Enclosed are copies of the Jerusalem School accounts recently sent us by Dr. Fisher, together with a copy of his covering letter. Also enclosed is copy of a letter to Dr. Moulton taking up various questions dealing with the rendering of accounts. We hope you will be able to go over them in the light of our suggestions to Dr. Moulton and give us your reactions to the various points raised. Dr. Burrows is anxious to have a statement from both you and Dr. Moulton before he writes to Dr. Fisher. Please do not hesitate to point out any misconceptions that we may have regarding the accounts.

What do you know about the item charged to Mr. Colt and what, if anything, should be done about it?
We realize that it may be difficult to establish a set maximum sum for the Hostel account in Jerusalem in view of possible things to come. In the same connection it is essential that sufficient funds be held in reserve in Jerusalem for the possible evacuation of Dr. Fisher. Please give us your full reaction to these questions and all they involve.
I am sure you will be interested in Dr. Fisher’s archaeological activities, especially at Kerak. We are wondering whether he was actually able to go there, since at that time German planes were filtering into Syria and the Palestinian government must have been deeply concerned with any activities in the northern part of the country. As soon as we get further word we shall of course keep you informed.

With best wishes to all of you,
Sincerely yours,
Robert M. Engberg

P.S. In writing to Dr. Fisher, Dr. Burrows will naturally be fully appreciative of his managing of the affairs in Jerusalem, but in addition will suggest the best way of handling accounts. The best way will be a consensus of the situation as seen by you, Dr. and Moulton and Dr. Burrows.

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AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
June 11th, 1941.
Dear Dr. Fisher:

In this, my first letter to you in our new relationship, I wish to extend my compliments and best wishes. Keep up the good work.

This is principally in reply to yours of April 16th to Dr. Burrows. The monthly statements from July 1940 through March 1941 also arrived safely. We hope that duplicate accounts for the succeeding months will continue to come month by month. In this connection you have perhaps by now been able to make arrangements with the American Consulate to send mail to us in the diplomatic pouch. Dr. Burrows’ letter of May 6th explained the procedure. He and I have discussed together the suggestions I am about to make, and they are all made with his approval. We have also consulted Dr. Moulton and Dr. Glueck.

After studying the monthly statements we suggest that henceforth, should the School account become low, you transfer a lump sum from the Hostel account to the School account, making the procedure clear in the statements. This would eliminate the necessity of paying for the road improvements and the Kerak excavation, or any other extraordinary expenditures, out of Hostel funds. Thus the record would be kept straight and you would have what might be regarded as an increased budget for School account purposes. It need hardly be said that it is in the interest of the School to keep expenditures at a minimum.

As Dr. Burrows has already explained, it is considered wise because of the way situation to keep certain funds for the School account temporarily on deposit with the Provident Trust Co. According to our records the School in this way is credited with repayment of Dr. Glueck’s overdraft (L.P. 70.446–$291.65), repayment of the amount advanced to Dr. Polotsky (L.P. 15.500–$62.78), and payment from the Central Conference of American Rabbis for the Jewish Exploration Society ($25.00), as explained in Dr. Burrows’ letter of March 12, 1941. When normal times return again we can again go back to the much more satisfactory system of keeping all Jerusalem School funds in Jerusalem.

This brings up the question of funds for the year 1941-42. Since your balances on both the School account and the Hostel account are so favorable, totaling almost $3000 as of March 1941, we propose not to send the sum called for in this year’s budget at this time, but to place it to the credit of the Jerusalem School in our bank. We believe this should not inconvenience you too severely. Barring unforeseen obligations you could let us know in plenty of time by letter when further funds would be needed. Our purpose in adopting this arrangement is to keep funds in Jerusalem at a minimum until such time as threat of confiscation by an invading force no longer exists. At this moment we can only be apprehensive, and we feel certain that you will appreciate our point of view.

For the time being we suggest that you continue to carry the Kheleifeh account and our special accounts, whether deficitsor not, as you have in the past. Dr. Glueck’s and Dr. Polotsky’s should be wiped out as paid. You may cancel the debt of L.P. 9 owed by Dr. Schmidt and his present unhappy situation and are glad you have been able to house him.

With regard to Dr. Glueck’s personal account would you please ask Mrs. Pommerantz for details of her L.P. 70-446 accounting to Dr. Glueck some months ago? The March 1941 statement indicates that he owed only L.P. 64.446. Since he has paid the higher figure we would want to refund the difference from here if an error has been made.

We are at this time instructing the Provident Trust Company to place $250 to your credit on July 1, 1941 with Barclay’s Bank, 120 Broadway, New York City. This represents the semi-annual payment on your salary from January 1 to June 30, 1941. The remainder of your salary will continue to be deposited with the First National Bank of Philadelphia, unless you send further instructions.

Regarding your own and the School’s safety in case of emergency we suggest that you keep in close touch with the consul, making certain at all times that there are sufficient funds to take care of your own evacuation if necessary. As for the total of School funds it is essential that they be protected at all times, and that all over and above your own requirements be returned to this country in dollar or pound sterling form in case of real emergency. We hope this will not be necessary. You could probably arrange an understanding with Barclay’s regard transfer of funds to their New York branch, should the need arise.

Dr. Glueck has received the first group of Kheleifeh plans but not the second, brought to you by Mr. Pinkerfeld in January. We should be glad to know if they have been sent.

We are all gratified that you have been able to carry on archaeological work, and Dr. Albright was very glad to receive your article on the Third Wall, as well as M. Solomiac’s. Your report on recent excavations in Palestine will be most welcome, and we will naturally be glad to receive details of your work near Ramleh and at Kh. Kerak. The problem presented at the latter site is most important and we hope you obtained satisfactory results.
Bulletin 70 has been mailed. The first copy evidently miscarried.

With best wishes to you, the Petries, and all others at the School from all of us,
Sincerely yours,
Robert M. Engberg

P.S. Since you sent us your last copies of the monthly statements, we are returning herewith copies of the same for your files.

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
June 17, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Many thanks for your letter of the 3rd, enclosing the one you had received from Dr. Magnes. His proposal is interesting and appealing. My first reaction is that we should not undertake anything of this sort without consulting the American School of Prehistory, which might feel that we were trespassing on their territory if we went into the thing without consulting them, while on the other hand they might be glad to cooperate. I am taking the liberty of writing to MacCurdy to see what his attitude may be. We can then decide what we shall do. I had already, by the way, written to Mrs. Pommerantz that she might duplicate Dr. Fisher’s original contribution of LP. 50 for Stekeli’s excavation, if she thought she could spare the money, with the understanding that we were not committed to any further support and that we had the right to publish results in the Bulletin. You will receive shortly as a Newsletter the major part of her letter to me.

The State Department replied to my enquiry that they were not in favor of sending a man from American to Jerusalem at this time but would approve the appoint of any suitable person who might be found in Jerusalem. I feel strongly, and have so indicated to the Consul-General, that any person put in charge of our School should be an American citizen. If you can recommend anybody, I’d be glad to have your nomination.

Our summer was hardly a normal one, but we have survived, though Irene had a bad fall a few days ago which has left her very sore and lame. You must be r’arin’ to go after your sojourn at a dude-ranch.
I enclose Magnes’ letter as you requested.
Sincerely yours,
Millar Burrows

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
June 17, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Thank you for your letter of June 12th. In the same mail came a communication from Vice-Chancellor Guerry of the University of the South, saying that he would communicate with you at your Cincinnati address regarding a lecture.

Your proposed trip to Wyoming sounds excellent and I know you will both enjoy it. The first part of August will be vacation time in Wyoming and I think we can assure you that your vacation will be uninterrupted as far as we are concerned.

Congratulations on your invitation to the Institute for Advanced Study next year. This honor is well deserved and we are very, very proud of you.

We are glad to know that things are in order for a division of the Kheleifeh booty. Please give my regards to Wetmore and Setzler when you see them. If I can arrange to be in Cincinnati for the division I would enjoy it very much. It so happens that I will be going to Chicago the latter part of September and if the date you select is close enough I will make every effort to join you.

With reference to Dr. Burrows’ forthcoming book WHAT MEAN THESE STONES? he may need to use one or two of the Air-Force photographs which you used in THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN. Do you think it would be necessary to get further permission to use these? The mails are so slow now that it would cause considerable delay if we had to wait to get renewed permission.
With best wishes to all of you,
Yours,
Bob

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
June 17, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Many thanks for yours of June 4th which cleared up many questions for us. Enclosed is our reply to Dr. Fisher which I hope meets with your approval. You will note that your principal suggestions have been followed.

With regard to Kheleifeh you will note that we suggested that the deficit be maintained in Jerusalem. Therefore the residue of the Kheleifeh appropriation remains in Philadelphia to be drawn upon. The chances are that the sum for Kheleifeh owed to the Jerusalem account will be cancelled.

We are glad to have an explanation of the Colt, TBM and Service items.

In answer to the questionnaire recently sent out by our Cast Investigation Committee, Dr. J.R. VanPelt, Technical Director of the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago had this to say:
“Two or three years ago we had a very interesting visit with Dr. Nelson Glueck in connection with his work at Solomon’s Seaport. Because of our acquaintance with metallurgical matters, we hoped at this time to cooperate with the American Schools in investigating the copper smelting works which Dr. Glueck had found, but this possibility did not materialize. We would be much interested, however, in following up this possibility after the war is over.”

In reply I told him that you had completed your excavation at Ezion-geber but should the Museum and the American Schools wish to cooperate later on, in some sort of metallurgical investigation, it could conceivably take place in the Arabah, where you have found both ore deposits and primary smelters. We are pleased to know that the Museum is still interested in your work. It is at least possible that some sort of cooperation will be possible after the war is over, since if I am not mistaken, you yourself would like nothing better than to get back into Transjordan.
With best wishes to all of you,
Yours,
Bob

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
July 22, 1941.
Members of the Executive Committee, Trustees and Associate Trustees.
Gentlemen:

The New York Times this morning carried a notice of the death of Dr. Fisher in Jerusalem. Having received no word of this directly as yet, I do not know any details.
I have sent the following telegram to the Secretary of State:
“Just learned death Acting Director Fisher of American School of Oriental Research Jerusalem. Please have Consul-General take complete charge pending other arrangements.”

We must decide as soon as possible what should be done about the School The arrangements regarding Dr. Engberg, which we discussed at our Chicago meeting, will naturally be affected. I shall appreciate it if you will write to me your suggestions and idea. Please address me at:
Candlewood Isle,
Danbury, Conn.
Millar Burrows

—

July 24, 1941
Dr. Millar Burrows
President,
American Schools of Oriental Research
Candlewood Isle,
Danbury, Conn.
Dear Millar:

I was shocked when glancing at the N.Y. Times of July 22 yesterday morning to read the notice of the death of Dr. Fisher. It must have been heart-failure. There was nothing seriously wrong with him before.
Your form letter of July 22 arrived this morning. I am answering immediately. I almost phoned you yesterday.

1. I suggest you immediately call a meeting of the trustees for the end of this week or the beginning of next, or, if that is impossible, to have the executive committee meet immediately

2. I shall make a number of suggestions, some of which I think might require immediate action without waiting for any authorization.
a. Cable Barclay’s bank, authorizing payment of funds to American Consul General for School, and inform State Department to that effect.
b. In same cable request Barclay’s to pay Mrs. Pommerantz up to 100 pounds for current expenses of School, without any other authority than her own responsibility.
c. Cable Mrs. Pommerantz that you are cabling Barclays to pay her up to 100 pounds to defray current bills and salaries. She can be fully trusted, and will naturally render an accounting in her books.

3. For the present, I would give Mrs. Pommerantz more authority, placing the house-keeper, and servants under her charge. She knows the ins and outs of the School, and is a responsible person. I suggest her salary be raised to L.P. 15 a month, and that she remain at the School from 8:30 A.M. to 2 P.M. The present house-keeper to be under her authority. Otherwise, we shall have Mrs. Vester camping in our place.

4. Possibilities of using School.
a. Have one family or several families of American Consuls move in. I had discussed that with Wadsworth before leaving; he is no longer there. I think Christian Steger is Acting Consul General.
b. Or invite Iliffe and family to move into Director’s House. Khalil and wife and child to be asked to live in servants’ quarters in Director’s House. I suggest him because he is clean and responsible, rather than Shukri who has too large a family. Some responsible person whom we know ought to be on the grounds permanently.
c. The entire School to be turned over to Y.M.C.A. as hostel for American citizens, if our Consulate no longer wants to continue arrangements I made with Wadsworth.

5. The American Consul General, Magnes of the Hebrew University, and Millar of the Y.M.C.A. to be invited to be the Jerusalem Executive Committee of the School, with authority to act. This suggestion based on possible desire of American Consul General not to bear full responsibility. For instance, Wadsworth might not have recommended one of the families he did to live in the School, knowing as he must have the character of the woman in question, if he had been able to say he was not the sole authority.

6. The desirability to be discussed of having P.L.M. Guy being general overseer of the School. He is an army office in Jerusalem in charge of paper supplies. If he were free, he would make an ideal caretaker; or if he could find the time. In many ways, he would be the best bet, particularly now that there is no question in Palestine other than that of peace or of possible invasion. He is a splendid manager, is meticulous in details, and what is very important today, knows all the authorities.

7. I don’t know how the arrangements regarding Dr. Engberg, discussed at the Chicago meeting, are affected by the death of Dr. Fisher. The reasons that impelled him not go out last June are far more cogent now than before, and were good originally. Our State Department is far less likely now to give travel permits to his family, than last June, and I am certain, such permits would not have been granted then. We do need some one on the spot in Jerusalem, but he would be on the spot. I do not think the Schools should put the alternative before him of going to Jerusalem now or losing his job. Perhaps by January 1942, peace will have arrived, (which I don’t envisage), and he will be able to go out to Jerusalem.

8. I think for the present, the School buildings can be managed through one of the methods I have mentioned above. I haven’t suggested Lind’s name again, because he is a Dane or a Swede, and as the former may have to be asked whether on not it approved of such an arrangement.

9. The only other thing I can think of at the present, is for one of us who know all the ropes in Jerusalem, to fly there immediately with full authority to settle the affairs of the School on the spot, and then fly back, or sail back on one of the U.S. steamers delivering supplies in the Red Sea.
Sincerely,
Nelson Glueck

—

AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
July 26, 1941.
Members of the Executive Committee:
Gentlemen:

Thus far I have heard from only a few of the Trustees in response to my circular letter of July 22. After sending it I received messages from Mrs. Pommerantz and from our Consul-General in Jerusalem. Both the Consul and Dr. Glueck have recommended the appointment of Mrs. Pommerantz, the Director’s Secretary at the School, to manage the business affairs of the School for the present time at an increased salary. I have therefore, without waiting for your authorization, called her as follows:

“Hereby appoint you business manager at five pounds salary per week until further notice with responsible charge of property and authority to sign checks up to one hundred pounds.”

I also cabled Barclay’s Bank as follows:

“Until further notice honor checks Mrs. Pommerantz on account Amer. Sch. Or. Res. to 100 pounds total.”

I informed the State Department of this action by wire, and wrote a letter giving more details.

Dr. Glueck has made another suggestion which seemed to me so obviously excellent that I took the liberty of acting upon it at once. I wrote to our Consul-General and the Secretary of State, authorizing the Consul-General to ask Dr. Magnes of Hebrew University and Mr. Miller of the Y.M.C.A. to form with him a local managing committee with power to act in all matters affecting the local affairs of our School. I asked him, with this committee if he forms it, to see whether any competent person now in Jerusalem, such as a member of the staff of the American University of Beirut, might be secured to take Dr. Fisher’s place as Acting Director for the immediate future.

What more permanent step should be taken I shall not try to determine until I have heard from more of our Trustees. Meanwhile I have acquired of the State Department regarding the possibility of sending Dr. Engberg to Jerusalem if we decide that this should be done.

Meanwhile there is quite a different matter on which I need your immediate advice. The Provident Trust Company has been depositing $125 per month of Dr. Fisher’s salary to the credit of Mrs. Fisher. We should decide at once whether they should continue to deposit this or any amount for her, and whether we should undertake to pay her a regular annuity. Perhaps you will feel that we should consult all the Trustees on this question, or perhaps you will feel that we can decide it in the Executive Committee, at least for the rest of this year. I should like to be able to give the bank definite instructions by the 1st of August, if possible.

Please therefore reply immediately, addressing me at
Candlewood Isle,
Danbury, Conn.
Sincerely yours,
Millar Burrows

—

AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
July 26, 1941.
Members of the Executive Committee:
Gentlemen:

At the April meeting our Board passed the following motion:

“Voted that Director Engberg’s salary be continued at the present basis from July 1st for six months. During that period the arrangements with him are to be reviewed in the light of the possibility of his taking up active work in Jerusalem. It was furthermore voted that the Executive Committee be prepared to make a definite recommendation concerning this action by November 1941, and inform Director Engbeg as to the decision taken.
In the meantime the death of Dr. Fisher has further complicated the situation. Mrs. Pommerantz is now serving as Business Manager, apparently quite competently and successfully. I have asked our Consul General in Jerusalem to be on the lookout for a competent Director or Acting Director who may be available in Jerusalem. I have also suggested that he invite Dr. Magnes of the Hebrew University and Mr. Millar of the Y.M.C.A. to join him as a local managing committee to supervice the administration of the school. No reply on these matters has been received yet.

As regarding Dr. Engberg’s position, I have asked the State Department’s opinion as to the possibility and advisability of sending him to Jerusalem. The reply, dated August 16th, is as follows:

“The Department’s general policy at the present time is to discourage the travel of Americans to the Near East except when their presence in that area is urgently required in connection with the national defense. The Department, therefore, agrees with that part of your letter to the Consul General which suggests that a successor to Dr. Fisher be selected from the Americans who are now in Palestine.”

To complete the data required for a wise decision on this whole matter, I have asked Dr. Engberg to write me a letter stating his own position. He had done this, and a copy is enclosed herewith.

We should reach our decision before the end of October. Perhaps we can do it by correspondence. I should appreciate an early letter from you indicating your judgment on this and your feeling about the questions at issue. In case a meeting appears desirable, Professor Cadbury and I will be in New York October 24-6 with the Bible Revision Committee. If as many as two or three of the rest of you could come to New York during that time, we could doubtless steal enough time to meet with you. Could you come then, if a meeting seems necessary?
There is another matter on which we may take action if we meet, but I shall reserve it until we have decided whether or not to have a meeting.

Sincerely yours,
Millar Burrows

—

September 18, 1941.
Dear Dr. Burrows:

I am writing, as you requested, to give you my views on the directorship of the Jerusalem School. Let me say first of all that I am perfectly willing to go to Jerusalem at any time if such a course seems advisable to the Trustees of the Schools. The State Department, however, has recently given the opinion that no American should go abroad at the present time except on a defense mission. That apparently has settled one aspect of the question. In view of this situation and the uncertainty of the war’s duration, I believe it to be in the best interest of the Schools to appoint a business manager, now in the Near East, to manage the Jerusalem School until it is possible to resume work. The principal job in Jerusalem at present is to manage the full house of guests. An unusual opportunity exists for the School to more than pay for its upkeep. Recent monthly statements from the School ought to be in a fine financial position when the war is over. Perhaps Mrs. Pommerantz, who from her letters seems extremely capable, might be entrusted with this responsibility. Dr. Glueck could answer this.

As for myself I have become most restive and dissatisfied due to the trend of circumstances. Since the State Department opinion arrived I have come to the conclusion that the only sensible thing for me to do is to locate another position. I have some notion as to how difficult it is to raise funds for the Schools and archaeology, and therefore am loath to accept the Schools’ funds while not performing my expected duties, although it is true that the office has continued to claim most of my attention. These considerations make it clear to me that the best solution, for the Schools and for myself, is to find another job. While canvassing the field, a matter in which I would appreciate any assistance, I shall turn over my Wellesley salary to the Schools.

I understand that the question of a reduction in my salary may be raised in the event of my being unable to go to Jerusalem. I should be most reluctant to have to accede to such a suggestion. Beyond that I am unable to say what my final reaction and decision would be. I dislike any possible implication that any decision of mine has brought about the present situation; the Executive Committee has made the decisions regulating my activities. A reduction in salary would therefore appear to me to place full responsibility on me for my not being in Palestine. I am, on the other hand, as I have said, most anxious to relieve the Schools of my salary item in the budget as soon as possible. This, of course, is stated on the assumption that I will be unable to go to Jerusalem.

As a result of our various talks I believe you understand my thoughts in the matter and think you will be able to answer any further questions which may come up at the Executive Committee meeting.
Sincerely yours,

Robert M. Engberg. (signed)

—

AMERICAN SCHOOLS
OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
409 PROSPECT STREET
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
October 3, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

I am sending you herewith excerpts from my recent correspondence with the Department of State. Also enclosed is copy of a letter from the Department of June, 1940. I should appreciate any comments you care to make on the situation, including your understanding of the history of our arrangement with the Consul General. I should like to have this on file for future reference.

Sincerely yours,
Millar Burrows

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
Oct. 30, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Thanks for yours of October 27th. We have just heard from Mrs. Pommerantz, who explains in detail how it came about that you paid six pounds too much on your personal indebtedness to the Jerusalem School. She says that she is writing to you about the matter. In a few days you should receive a check for the equivalent of six pounds.
We have received only one acknowledgment, from Kirkbride, in connection with our mailings of the OSJ. Up to now we have sent copies to the following: Iliffe, Harding, Kirkbride, Hamilton, Fisher. Since Kirkbride and Harding received their copies we are now going ahead with mailings to the following: High Commissioner McMichael, Keith-Roach, Major Glubb, Dr. Maisler, President Magnes, Professor Mayer, and Professor Sukenik. We have decided to add Petrie to your list, and hope you do not object. All copies contain the usual slip – Compliments of the author and the American Schools. I hope that all arrive safely.
With very best wishes to Helen, Charles and yourself,

Yours,
Robert M. Engberg

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
November 24, 1941.
Dear Nelson:

Many thanks for your letter of the 17th. I am delighted to hear that you are to give the main address at the opening of the new Bade building at Berkeley. Your suggestion that Engberg might fall the temporary vacancy there which you are unable to fill is most thoughtful on your part. I do not think I should approach them on the subject, but of course I will gladly respond if they take it up with me.
Hoping to see you in New York,

Sincerely,
Millar Burrows

—

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
S. VERNON MCCASLAND
JOHN B. CARY MEMORIAL PROFESSOR OF RELIGION
1852 WINSTON AVENUE
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.
November 25, 1941
Professor Nelson Glueck
Hebrew Union College
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Nelson:

This is just to perform my duty as secretary of reminding you as president to arrange a luncheon meeting of the American Schools Alumni during the Christmas SBL session.

You are also to call a meeting of the executive committee at some convenient time before the luncheon for the purpose of transacting necessary business and serving as a nominating committee. The executive committee at present consists of Nelson Glueck, S. V. McCasland, T. J. Meek, G. E. Wright, E. G. Kraeling and Millar Burrows.
Officers to be nominated are:
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary-Treasurer
4. Two elected members to executive committee.
Expecting to see you during the holidays and with cordial regards, I am

Sincerely yours,
S. Vernon McCasland

I understand that you are to lecture at Lynchburg on Dec. 4. Some of us had thought of going over, but I now find that I have to be in Richmond at the time.

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM AND BAGHDAD
409 PROSPECT ST., NEW HAVEN, CONN.
November 26, 1941.
Professor William B. Dinsmoor,
9 East 77th Street,
New York City.
Dear Professor Dinsmoor:

I am writing to ask you to serve as Chairman of our Board’s Nominating Committee for the December meeting. With you I am asking Professor Glueck and Professor Wilson to serve on the committee. I am sending them copies of this letter for their information. You will doubtless communicate with them in any way that suits your convenience.

On the assumption that you will be willing to serve in this capacity, I will add a few bits of information to assist you. Your committee will not have to nominate new Trustees, since those are elected by the Corporation, which has its own nominating committee. Your function will be to nominate 1) officers for the coming year 2) a member of the executive committee to serve for the next three years, and 3) seven Associate Trustees to serve for one year.
So far as I am aware the present officers are all willing to continue to serve if desired. They will all be eligible. On the other hand, you are of course free to nominate any others in their places, taking care only that the President, Vice-President, and Treasurer shall be members of the Board (the Secretary need not be a Trustee and is not at present). The Trustees whose terms expire this year are Messrs, Altschul, Bull, Burrows, and Morgenstern. As far as I can judge, these will all probably be re-elected for another term.

The executive committee consists of the officers and three Trustees elected in rotation to serve for three years each. Dr. Albright is the one whose term expires this year. Those who have recently served in this capacity are:

1936. Morgenstern, Albright, Barton.
1937. Morgenstern, Albright, Barton.
1938. Adler,
1939. Barton, Adler, Albright.
1940. Adler, Albright, Morey.
1941. Albright, Glueck, Morey.

The Associate Trustees are elected annually. They may succeed themselves, but we have tried to have more rotation in this group than seems advisable among the Trustees. The purpose of having Associate Trustees is to secure the active cooperation of men who are experts in the fields covered by our work. I give here the present list of the Associate Trustees, indicating in parenthesis the number of years each of them has served: Geetze (3), F.C. Grant (3), Ingholt (1), Jeffery (3), Kraeling (3 &1), Meek (6), Waterman (3). I should say that at least one or two of those who have served for three years should be replaced this time, though there is not one of them whose service I should not hate to lose. Professor Meek has served longer than any other Associate Trustee, but his help is especially valuable, both because of his close association with our Baghdad School and because he actively represents us in Canada. If he should be replaced, his colleague, Professor W.R. Taylor should by all means be put in his place. As possible successors for any of the others whom your committee may choose to replace this year I might suggest Professors Arbez (we have no Catholic now on the Board), Bewer (in case F.C. Grant is dropped), Crook, May, and Stinespring. It might also be worth while to consider Barrois. He is not officially connected with one of our supporting institutions, and I don’t suppose he is an American citizen as yet, but both these points apply equally to Ingholt, whom we elected last year. I understand that Barrois has recently turned Protestant and is studying for the Presbyterian ministry. This might make him persona non grata to our Catholic constituency, whom we should not like to offend. On the other hand from the point of view of special acquitance with our field, he is just the kind of man we want as Associate Trustee. In case the committee wishes to consider him, it might be well to consult Albright. I should also, by the way, consult Albright before nominating Father Arbez, since I do not know how much he knows about our kind of work.

With best wishes, and some trepidation at putting such a job up to you,
Sincerely yours,

Millar Burrows
President

—

AMERICAN SCHOOLS OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH.
409 Prospect St.
New Haven, Conn. 11/26/41
Members of the Executive Committee-Gentlemen:
Mrs. Fisher has written to me in great distress, saying that she has nothing to depend on after January 1st except a balance of $176 in Dr. Fisher’s bank account, and that she has heard nothing yet from the consulate in Jerusalem regarding Dr. Fisher’s will or estate. This, as we know from Mrs. Pommerantz’ letters, is being looked after by Mr. Blatchford, who will doubtless report in due time. Meanwhile, since our Board meeting comes so close to the end of the year, I am wondering whether you think I can extend any encouragement to Mrs. Fisher regarding any possible further provision for her which the Board may see fit to make, in order to allay her anxiety. I have written to her that I am consulting you and that I will let her know the result, but that I can give her no encouragement until I hear from you. Please let me known promptly your judgment.
As you will remember, we undertook to pay Mrs. Fisher $125.00 a month through December.
Sincerely,
Millar Burrows
President.

1944

Jerusalem, Palestine.
April 30, 1944.
Dear Otto:

Two months have passed by since my return to Jerusalem. I was ill the first month with flu, but have been well since then. Yesterday, I returned from an archaeological trip in Transjordan, and am leaving for another in a few days. Somehow or other, this time, America seems farther away from Jerusalem than it used to be. It may be because it took me such a long time to get here this time, or because the mails are so frightfully slow these days.
I am wondering how the Union is progressing. I know that you and Maurice are working with might and main to further its fortunes and Jerry’s welfare. When I get home again, please God, I shall be eager to serve as a private in your army. This is merely a brief note to say “hello” to you and Maurice and Lou, and wish you Godspeed in your work.

Sincerely,
Nelson

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
July 20, 1944
Dear Nelson,

Thank you for your note from Cairo. I hope that you did not have too long to wait there until you got under way.
I am enclosing the financial statements for June and the broken up accounts. I am also sending you, in accordance with a phone call I received from the Consulate, the duplicate copy of the sherd descriptions. Also enclosed is a short note from Pere Savignac about your Nabataean inscription. I have kept a copy of it.
Awad went without any fuss, but with a lot of sad hints about his worth as against the other servants. He is a member of the Histadruth, and somebody came to see me and asked why he had been fire and what compensation we were giving him. I explained about his laziness, his intrigues, etc., and told him that I was giving him two months’ wages. This, apparently, is strictly according to Histadruth rules. Two weeks for every year he worked here (three years) and the two weeks holiday which were owing to him. The Labout Federation man expressed himself satisfied, and there was no attempt at all to influence our decision to fire Awad.

I have received from the Controller of Light Industries the permit to import the blocks for your OSJ in Hebrew. I am sending by the same mail a copy of that permit to Dr. Burrows, in order to facilitate getting an export permit from the US, if such a thing is necessary. Perhaps you can ginger things up a bit from Cincinnati.

The Hostel is quite full, and likely to continue to be so until October. Mr. Cooke is quite nice, but I have no idea whether he is pleased or not, because he never speaks to me or to anybody else. Andronovich came to fetch your car a few days ago, and fixed new wheels and tyres on it before he took it away. I have renewed the insurance policy we took out last year. It was due on the 1st of august. (You will understand my train of thought).

We have had another Stern gang outrage. They blew up the Land Registry and District Police Headquarters at the corner of Mamillah and Julian’s Way. The whole bottom floor of the building is gone; one can the the street at the back through the concrete columns. The explosions were terrific. Here at the School even the windows shivered. There were about 12 explosions in all, and I was quite prepared to see more than one house in ruins on the next day. Fortunately, we have had no curfew after this business.

I hope you found Helen and the boy well. With best regards,

Yours sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

[Handwritten note] P.S. I have put half the sherd notes in our envelope, and half in another. It was too builky. They are sent together.

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
August 17, 1944
Dear Nelson,

I am enclosing the financial statements for July, the annual reports for 1943/44, the library accession list for the same period, and the broken down accounts for July. As you see, this month the profit is not bad. By the same mail, I am sending the duplicate copies of the monthly and yearly financial statements and the library list to Dr. Burrows.

I am also enclosing a letter and article by Dr. Lohnberg, the mining engineer who came to see you some time ago. The letter is self-explanatory, except that it was he and not I who suggested that the thing might be published.
I am afraid that Schmidt has gone quite crazy. He now refuses to eat here, and after long discussions, Helen got out of him that it is a demonstration hunger strike. Apparently he dreamed that he is called to free the School from Jews. His grievance is that you and I are Jewish, and he thinks that the School, a Christian institution, is going Jewish. It seems that all this, which after all was known to him for years, came to a head because he dreamed something or other. Now he says he is writing a long letter to Albright about it, and the hunger strike is to give further emphasis to his letter. I hope to persuade him to eat soon, because now he eats nothing but bread, and I would not like him to die here.

This month the insurance was due, and I paid it. Now we are insured against burglary, fire and petty larceny until August 1, 1945. I also had to pay the increased Municipal Taxes. If you remember, they increased also the annual assessment of the property. I am going to appeal against it to the District Office this month, when reassessments are coming up.

The Hostel is very full, Glidden is staying here. He just missed you in Cairo. I have delivered to him his coins. The servants are quiet, except that Omar is agitating for the rest period between 5 and 7 in the afternoon as of right and not of Shukri’s grace, but I am sure I can handle it.

Best regards to your family
Yours sincerely
D. Pommerantz

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
September 7, 1944
Dear Nelson,

I am enclosing the financial statements for August and the broken down account for the same month. The big profit does not show in the hostel statement because in August we bought soap and wood for about LP 60.-. A copy of the financial statements has been sent to Burrows.

The Hostel is chock full. I have even had to put Prof. Creswell from Cairo in your dining room, because he came and said he would have to sleep in the street. I think it will continue to be full through September and October. Miss Kirkwood has finally left for Cairo, where she got that job she applied for with UNRRA. Mrs. Kraus fell ill a few days after she got here, and had to be operated for some kind of feminine tumor and her appendix was taken out at the same time. Bad luck, so soon after her marriage. Now she is recovering well. Mrs. Miske, the mysterious Baroness, suddenly went blind in one eye, and has been in hospital for about five weeks, first Hadassah and then Government Hospital. Now she is here again, and I believe, is recovering her sight slowly Mr. Sibson, the headmaster of St. George’s, ate here for about a week some time ago.

Schmidt is still refusing to eat here. I have telephoned Pastor Nielsen about him, and I believe he spoke to him. He said I should not worry about Schmidt, and apologized for his general behavior.

I have received a notice from the Controller of Light Industries about the blocks for OSJ which says: “Notification from the M.E.S.C. (Middle East Supply Council) has reached me that shipping priority has been awarded to your license and transmitted by air mail to the loading area. You are advised to inform your foreign suppliers of this fact.” In case the blocks have not yet been sent, this might make things easier.

The servants are more or less quiet, except that Omar is dissatisfied that he has to ask Shukri permission to go out. He and Khalil have asked me to let them have twice a week a free period between 5 and 7. I have no objection to it, because they work pretty hard and long hours, but in order to preserve the status quo with Shukri, I insisted that they should ask Shukri each time for permission. This they do not want to do. Shukri keeps quiet, and does not resort to his former malpractices, but he has a lot of grievances, the main one being that the other servants do not respect him, which is perfectly true. They all know that he was dishonest, and he is therefore unable to impose his will on them as formerly. There is nothing one can do about it, except wait until the war is over and servants will again need jobs badly and be dependent on holding down their present job.

Hooper was here today, and asked if he could come and stay here again!! I said we were full up, which is perfectly true. I hope to God he doesn’t ask again in the winter

Major Pruen (from Thomas’ Arab School) wants to bring his wife and children here for a six weeks’ holiday in October. I have had the tennis net repaired (LP 4), and Eban and Pruen have played tennis fairly often.
Life here is by no means cheaper yet. The only thing that has dropped in price drastically is second hand radios, sewing machines, refrigerators etc. Food and clothing is as expensive as ever. Now that the war seems nearly over we are all hoping for a rapid drop in prices. It will be a marvelous feeling when a pound will be a lot of money again.

With best wishes for Rosh Hashana to you and Helen and the boy from both of us and David.
Your Sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

P.S. The 8 days Pommerantz which appear on the broken down account represent a week which my mother-in-law stayed here to recuperate after an operation at the Hadassah.

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
October 6, 1944
Dear Nelson,

I am enclosing the financial statements for September and the detailed account. Prices of food have gone up a little, but the profit is still quite good. The Hostel is a little less full, and I expect that about November it will be comparatively empty.

Major Pruen’s family arrived. They are quite nice. We also have a Mr. Edwards and his wife staying here now; he used to be in the British Museum, and is now something in the Air Force (but civilian). We also had a Dr. Schlesinger from Cairo staying here. I thought he was in an ordinary German Jew practicing in Cairo, but then I found out he was a Meshummad; this, of course, prejudiced me against him. Otherwise he is quite nice.
We had another bout of curfew here, which was lifted only yesterday.
And prices began to flag, but now it seems obvious that it will take at least until next spring, so everything soared again.

Your letter addressed to Eban arrived yesterday, and I sent it along to him with Pruen.
The Jewish Palestine Exploration Society have had another very successful congress, in Tel Aviv and Caesarea, with a small exhibition, for which I lent them in the name of the School a few maps, and also a Proto-Sinaitic inscription and a stamped jarhandle from our showcase in the hall. They gave a formal letter to me, taking all responsibility, and insuring the exhibits while in their hands.
With best wishes from Leo and David and myself,

Yours sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
October 23, 1944
Dear Nelson,

Thank you for your letter of August 17th, which arrived two days ago. I am glad you found Helen and Charles Jonathan so well.

Here at the School the rush of visitors is beginning to slacken. I think that the Hostel is going to be fairly empty this winter, but I hope that we will at least break even during the slack months. The Perrymans are going in about a fortnight, and Pruen and his family are leaving at the end of the month. The permanent guests are the same, but Wing Commander Loveday has been transferred away from Jerusalem. Cooke, the man who has your sittingroom, is no trouble at all. Whenever I speak to him, he blushes, flares his nostrils and looks like a frightened doe. He hasn’t exchanged more than half a dozen words with anybody here all this time. I don’t even know if he is pleased or not.

This week, Dr. Magness is working here and staying over lunch. He is using your dining-room.
Dr. Kraus committed suicide in Cairo. Poor Dolla Kraus was here when she got the news. She was just preparing to join him in Cairo. It seems he was having trouble with his job at the Cairo University in connection with the recent change of ministry and the consequent removal of Dr. Taha Hussein, who was a fried of his. But he must have been mentally unbalanced to commit suicide, three months after his marriage and leaving a daughter of a previous marriage. It is very tragic for her, and for Dolla.

I have fired Umm Hanna, because she insisted on taking her annual holiday when she wanted it, against my express wishes. I had offered her a date three weeks later. Instead we have now got a woman called Yasmin, who is deaf and looks like a witch, but who is a very hard worker, and much cleaner than Umm Hanna. There was no fuss or trouble whatsoever about her dismissal from the other servants.

With best wishes from Leo and David and myself,
Yours sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

—

Cincinnati, Ohio.
31 October 1944
Dear Inna:

I have your letter of October 6, 1944, together with the accounts of the School and Hostel. I am glad to note that all is in order. I assume that as the number of people staying at the hostel lessens within the next month or so, our figures will once again move over the debit side of the ledger. However, the yearly total will show a surplus.
I had expected to be on my way back by now, but the inevitable delays have again set in. At the moment, I don’t know when the travel arrangements will be perfected. They are being worked on.

There has been a regular hegira of Palestinians to America. I received a note from Professor Leon Roth this morning. And I gather that Mrs. Viteles has arrived. I was shocked to learn of Kligler’s death. Helen and I had seen Mrs. Kligler about a week before, and she had been bemoaning the fact that these war years had kept her and her husband apart. And now, poor woman, she will never see him again.

Please tell Dr. Magnes that I now have funds for Freed through May 1945. I shall be writing to him shortly.

I hope the servant situation is in hand, and that you are bearing down on the servants firmly when necessary. I shall hold them to a severe accounting when I return, if they have been remiss.

I think my article is to appear in the forthcoming December issue of the National Geographic, and will be called The Geography of the Jordan. The title is theirs. I have again revised my book, THE JORDAN, and had it completely retyped. There is great difficulty in getting the proper paper here for reproduction of photographic plates. I have the feeling that finally our own American Schools press will put it out.

I note in the accounts that Kirkbride has paid several bills. I should like him to be considered the guest of the School when he comes. Tell him next time that I regard him as personal guest there. However, if he insists that he wants to pay, why I guess you will have to let him do so.

A copy of a telegram was sent me from the local America office of Hashomer Hatzair asking for the copyright and special Hebrew introduction of my book THE JORDAN, on the basis of a recommendation by Maisler. Tell Maisler, please, that inasmuch as I haven’t secured a publisher for the book yet, I can’t give him the copyright for a Hebrew edition. As soon as I secure a publisher here, I shall be able to do so. If it is a private, commercial publisher, I shall have to arrange it with them. If the American Schools publishes it, I can give the permission myself. Meanwhile, I shall probably be in Palestine in time to write a Hebrew introduction there. Give Maisler my very best regards.

With cordial greetings
P.S. Keep on sending me regular letters and reports till you get definite word from me that I am on my way. I now expect to be here for a couple of months more.

1945

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
August 22, 1945
Dear Nelson,

I hope you have arrived safely, and all the way by air, as you wanted it.

I enclose a sheaf of letters which have arrived recently, except for Burrows’ letter, as I imagine you will see him very soon after your arrival. I deduced from the letters from the Westminster Press that your lingering doubts about their acceptance of the book were quite unjustified.

I also enclose the financial statements for July and the accounts for June and July. As you see from the statements, I had to transfer a further $1000 from the Hostel to the School, as we paid during July the Insurance, the Texas, and spent about LP 75. – the Transjordan. I have shown at the bottom of the statement only one transfer of $1000, as the previous one was in the past financial year. The Loan to School Funds is the LP 100. – the Hostel loaned to you personally. Your balance of LP 91.- (from which you must deduct approximately LP 12.- for the July Board bill which is paid in August) is not sufficient to repay the loan, so I let it stand, since the Hostel Balance is bound to rise during the next few months.

Please let me know whether to transfer the Library Sales/c to the General School Funds when it reaches LP 246.490 ($1000), which it should do in a month or so. The booksales go on. I have contacted RIngart’s Bookshop in Haifa, with a view to giving them the sole distribution right in Haifa. Their conditions mean that, without raising the sales price of LP 0.450, we would receive about LP. 0290 of each book. The drawback is that they want it on a Sale or Return basis, that is, they reserve the right to return any books they do not sell.

The Kirks have arrived. They are quite harmless. The Perrymans have moved into your house, and are very happy there. Kirkbride was here two days. He saw the flints from Kharaneh, but said that the one he was looking for, an unfinished one, was not there. He said he thought you might have thrown it away. Harding stayed here one night; he had to sleep on your dining room, there was no other place.

V-J day passed very quietly. There was not nearly as much excitement as there was on V-E day.
Prices are not falling yet, unfortunately. On the contrary, food prices seem to go up. Transjordan wheat has been decontrolled now, which means that Palestine stops Transjordan a subsidy for their wheat, and white bread will be allowed to find its own price level. Standard bread is to continue also.

Freed paid me a visit, looking absolutely mad. He apparently ran away from Tel Aviv and wandered for a long time about Jerusalem. He complained bitterly that you had no time for him and that Magnes had him put away as a lunatic. He resent that very much. I don’t know what happened to him after I got rid of him here. He wanted to stay here!

A few days after you left a cable arrived from your wife. I imagine she told you about it.
Best regards to your family.
Sincerely,
DP

—

Cincinnati, Ohio. Sept. 18, 1945

Dear Inna:

Your letter of August 22, 1945 arrived yesterday. I wrote to you some weeks ago from Charlevoix, Michigan. We returned to Cincinnati from Michigan in time for Erew Rosh hash-Shanah. Two days later I went east again. Dr. Burrows drove down from New Haven to meet me in New York, and the next day I went to Philadelphia to see Mr. Trinterud.

I hope to fly back to Jerusalem in January or February. Helen and the boy may possibly fly out for a month during the summer. I shall not leave the country before the December meeting of the Board of Trustees of the ASOR, so that everything can be arranged for the full resumption of academic work beginning next fall.
The one package of books with the Westminster Atlas and Maisler Atlas have arrived. I wish I had the Teleilat Ghassul volumes, the one that you have despatched to me already, and the one that Mr. Pinkerton was going to order for me from Italy.

I gather from the single copy respectively of the School and Hostel accounts that you sent me, that you have sent the two usual copies of each directly to Dr. Burrows. I shall inquire of him in my next letter. I was glad to get the broken down accounts for June and July and will look at all of the accounts very carefully later on today. I assume that the annual financial statement will be reaching me soon.

I shall think over the matter of transferring the Library Sales account to the General School Funds and let you know soon. The arrangement you are making with Ringart’s Bookshop in Haifa are satisfactory. With such arrangements you must go ahead on your own responsibility. I shall be pleased to hear if the remaining copies of the Other Side of the Jordan are sold out. I have asked Burrows for the present not to send any more copies of OSJ, but to send 25 more copies each of What Mean These Stones, and of Mccown’s book and of Albright’s book.
Please send me a detailed account of my personal deposits and expenditures from the time I arrived on Dec. 26, 1944 till the time I left on August 1, 1945. In my previous letter, I already asked you to let me know the amount of that last check I sent or you rather sent for me to Dr. Magnes. I thought when I deposited that last $1000 to my personal account, that the L.P. 100 loan had been repaid, but evidently to judge from your letter it had not. At any rate, please send me the above detailed accounting that I have now asked for as soon as possible.
People like Kirkbride and Harding are to be entertained at the School’s expense. I think that when I was gone last autumn, you charge me personally for such guests.

Freed is under no circumstances to be allowed to stay at the School or in the School grounds. I have already undertaken the first steps to attempt to get for him again a stipend at the rate of $70 a month for the coming year beginning January 1, 1945.

The River Jordan is to appear about March 1946. I saw the very first gallery proofs in Philadelphia the other day, and I also saw the out for the outer paper jacket. The same printer, Donnely, that prints Life Magazine and that printed the Westminster Atlas is printing this book for the Westminster Press. I think the first edition to be a printing of 5000 copies. The Westminster Atlas has already sold the phenomenal number of over 25,000 copies and they are sure it will sell over 100,000 copies. Apparently, they do not think that the River Jordan will do anywhere near as well, because the first printing is only one fifth as large as the first printing of the Atlas. However, I am well satisfied with the progress thus far. I saw the first galley proofs in Philadelphia and ought to receive them in a few days after their proof readers have had first whack at them.

I have just phoned Helen’s office to have Helen’s secretary remind her to try to buy your medicine for you. Helen thinks it has to be packed in ice to preserve it, -which is of course impossible, but will find out.

The Westminster Press is favorably disposed to having The River Jordan translated in Hebrew, and to printing in this country for the translation all of the plates of photographs and even to arranging to have the Hebrew titles of the photographs printing in place of the English titles. However, I shall do nothing about it until I have seen how the first translation looks. You might ask Gordon if he would be prepared eventually to deposit with you in advance the sum of money necessary to pay for the printing of the sheets of plates in this country. I shall advance no money for such purposes, even in case we decide to go through with the translation of The River Jordan by the Mosad Bialik.

Tell the servants, all of them, that I am counting on them to be more carefully of everything connected with the School while I am gone than when I was there, and that I have confidence in them and believe they will be loyal to me in that respect, and understand that in my absence you are the absolute boss.

With best wishes for the New Year to you and Leo and David, and with best regards to the people at the School,

As ever, sincerely yours,
Nelson Glueck
162 Glenmary Ave., Cincinnati 20, Ohio.

P.S. I think I must have told you in my previous letter, that I flew all the way to Cincinnati, arriving here five days after leaving Cairo.

I am sending this letter by ocean mail. Please let me know how long it takes. I think it may get there faster than air mail. In your letter received yesterday, I also received the letters that you enclosed.

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
October 7, 1945
Dear Nelson,

Thank you and Helen for your letter, which arrived October 2nd. I am very glad that you are having such a good time and a much needed rest.

I am enclosing the broken down accounts for August and September, also the financial statements for House and School for August acquisitions during the year. Since I have not seen the bills for the books which we ordered through Dr. Burrows, I do not know which of them were purchases and which gifts or exchanges. I therefore grouped them all under purchases, since the major portion of theme must be purchases. All the enclosed accounts are duplicate to Dr. Burrows by the same mail. I am also enclosing a statement of the books sold up to Oct. 1st.
I am also enclosing a statement of your personal money here. You will see that Mr. Parker (P.O.B. 113, Haifa) paid to LP 23.- for Mr. Gordon Loud. He says you know about it. Your payments to Freed are as follows.

Feb. 8, 1945 (Oct. 1, 1944 – May 31, 1945) LP 137.383
July 30, 1945 (June 1, 1945 – Dec. 31, 1945) 120.800
Deficit in Dr. Magnes’ a/c 21.467
279.650

I am also enclosing a copy of your letter to Dr. Margolis about the payment of Feb. 8th. His answer is in the file, saying that he followed your instructions.

You will be glad to hear that we have a very good chance of getting rid of Schmidt. My talk with Miss Egblad and Pastor Nielsen bore fruit, apparently, in the shape of a telegram from the Danish Missionary Committee, or whatever it is, in Copenhagen, to the effect that they would like Schmidt to return to discuss “future problems” in archaeology. He was overjoyed, and now efforts are being made to find a passage for him. A Mr. Kjaer has offered to pay his fare home, so that we will not have to contribute anything. I feel sure that once he is in Denmark, the people responsible for him will not allow him to return to Palestine. There is even a possibility that Lady Petrie might be going to England!! Arkell is coming from the Sudan to discuss with her the transport of the old man’s library to Khartcum. Apparently it is going to be established there permanently. After that, she talks of going home. As for your other bête noire, the Baroness, Lady Drowner met her in the street in early September, and she announced that she was going to England the very next day. She is still here, though. But you may rest assured that she won’t come here. Miss Willing, believe it or not, is going to get married, and leaving shortly for England. She snared a Capt. Thomas. As you know, she is very determined woman. I do hope the next Inspector of Arab Girls’ Schools is going to be someone who knows Arabic.

August and September were very good months for the Hostel, as you can see from the accounts. I fear, though, that this winter is going to be very empty indeed, from November onwards. The Ebans have taken a furnished house from the middle of October; Edwards is returning in a few weeks to England, to the British Museum; the Kirks are looking hard for a house; the Dawkins’ are also leaving very shortly for England. We have no new permanent guests except a Captain Dunkerley, who is frightfully High Church, and gets up every morning at half past five to go to church. Still, some one else may turn up. I do not think we should be justified in letting one of the servants go during the winter to reduce costs. We could easily manage with one less, but I think it is not fair on them.

I have made a census of the whole library. I closed the library for four days and made a complete list of the books by consecutive numbers. It took 35 two-column sheets of foolscap. This way one does not need to run to the shelf to see if every card tallies with the book. I just have to check off the books on the list. This list can also be the basis for a yearly check-up. I have also made cardboard markers for the large size books which are difficult to find. These markers are on the shelf among the other books and indicate where the larger book is to be found.
The book sales are getting more difficult, so I have asked Dr. Burrows to discontinue sending more books. If I see in a month or so that there still is a big pile left, I shall make an arrangement with Aronsohn or someone else. I have written to Haifa and also to Tel Aviv, offering one bookshop in each town the exclusive right to sales in that particular town, and have just sent off 20 copies to Tel Aviv. We could sell more of McCown’s book and Albright’s two books, probably about 30 of each. Is it possible to come to an arrangement with the Westminster Press that we should be the sole distributors of your new book here? Otherwise they will place advance orders and have the book on sale everywhere. That is, if you want the School here to sell “The Jordan”. I am very glad to hear that your book will be out soon. As you write that the Westminster Press sent copies of their letters to you here also to Cincinnati, I shan’t send a letter of July 25, 1945, which arrived recently. There was also a copy of a letter to Burrows from Charles D. Matthews, Near Eastern and African Branch, Division of Cultural Cooperation. Copies of this letter were apparently sent to you, Albright, and Wilson, so that you must have seen it. There was also a letter from Albright, which I am not sending on as you must have seen him by now, and a letter from Dr. J. Marcus.

Was there any time limit on our loan on LP 57.260 to Prof. Louise P. Smith? Perhaps she is back at Wellesley and you might ginger her up a bit? The camp at Nuseirat near Gaza where she had been has completely liquidated. I have no further address.

I have had a note from the Department of Migration with reference to an application for the admission to Palestine of Messrs. S. T. Brogdon and W.P.. Rawlinson from the U.S.A. When I called at the Department of Migration, they told me that Brogdon and his secretary Rawlinson had applied for a visa and said they would be staying at the American School. They wanted me to confirm it. There was no question of a bond or anything, but I felt I could not confirm it, since I had never heard of them before. Do you know anything about them?
I sent your books off in August. I hope they arrived in order. I believe I enclosed a list of the books sent in my last letter. Soon I am going to send all the pamphlets, and your collection of Passover Hagadas. I have no heard anything further about the Hebrw Other Side of the Jordan, but as it has been in press for a long while, I assume it will be coming out soon. As soon as it is out, I shall send you a few.

The servants are behaving quite well, and all of them ask to be remembered to you. Mahmud, the gardener, is quite a find, and the garden looks very well. We have just sown most of the spring seeds, and hope to have a good show next spring. Perhaps you could bring with you when you return, or send by post now, a collection of miscellaneous summer and autumn flower seeds from some reputable firm.

Thank you very much for the trouble you and Helen are taking over my medicine, and please thank her very much from me. I appreciate it. I have not had a reply yet from Dr. Burrows to my letter about getting sheets, towels etc., from America for the School here. Could you interest yourself in the possibilities of sending such things to Palestine, because there is no sign of things getting cheaper or more plentiful here, especially such things as textiles.

Since Herouth fixed the water tanks and the tin catchment basins under the tanks, we have not had any accidents, touch wood, but their bill was terrific over LP 60.-.

A Rev. Jackman called here to see you. He and his wife are in Palestine for some months. He is something to do with religious educational firms, and seems also to have made a film of the colonies for the Jewish Agency. He doesn’t look like a Reverend at all, with very flashy, loudly checked clothes, no dog-collar, and a showy ring on very manicured fingers. A Dr. Young from Toronto University also called. He is now Press Attache at the Teheran Embassy. Dunand called to see me. He is back in Beirut, not of course in the Service des Antiquites, but as head of the French Mission, Institute, or whatnot. He is bringing out a book on the alphabet very soon. He says he will publish in it Phoenician inscriptions antedating the Sinai inscriptions, and believes that he can disprove Gardiner’s explanation of them. He promised to send us a copy. It is being printed in Beirut. I suppose you have seen reports in the papers about Sukenik’s find of ossuaries, inscriptions etc. near Talpioth. I am enclosing a clipping from the Palestine Post about it which might interest you, and also another clipping which goes rather well with the beginning of your “Jordan”.

I have been away in Naharia for ten days, and feel much better for this short rest. Leo looked after things here, and went away himself afterwards.

With best regards also from Leo,
Your sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
November 8, 1945
Dear Nelson,

Your letter of September 18, 1945 arrived here October 22nd, and the toxoid arrived soon after. Thank you very much indeed for it, and please thank also Helen from me. I hope it will stop my boils once and for all.
I am sending you in this letter the financial statements and the broken down accounts for October. I hope you received the last lot in order. I had included there a statement of your personal account which you ask for in this last letter. The Hostel is half empty, and I think is going to be like that until next spring. Prices not only do not go down, but in some instances rise. There are still no imports whatsoever of foreign foodstuffs into Palestine, although I see in the papers that cars and radios are soon going to appear.

The OSJ and Burrows’ book are selling very slowly indeed. If in a month or so I see that the sales do not budge, I might again take up Aronsohn’s offer to have sole distribution rights. A number of people want to subscribe to our Publications (BASOR, BA, AASOR). Could you find out from Dr. Burrows at the December meeting what he would like me to do about it; refer them to him directly, or let the order go through the School here, subscriptions being paid to me. In case he prefers the last, I am going to open a separate account in our books for these subscriptions.

The Hebrew OSJ is coming out this week or next week. I told Gordon to send you a copy as soon as he can. I told him of your idea to have the plates printed in America, and he is quite willing to deposit the necessary money with me in advance, only he says he would like to know approximately how much. I do not know whether the Mosad Blalik can afford to have all the photos which will appear in the English text printed in Hebrew edition. Perhaps you can find out approximately how much it is going to cost per plate?

I have received a form from the Income Tax people here, to be filled out within thirty days. This form also includes your salary as Director of the School, rent-free house etc. I have tried to stall them off, and wrote to them saying that you were in America and were coming back in January. I hope it works. I also telephoned the American Consulate, asking them about the position of Americans in Palestine whose salary is paid in America, but they said it was a matter for the Government Income Tax Office. I explained to the Income Tax Assessing Officer that your income was paid in America, from American funds etc., but he insisted that as the institution itself was situated in Palestine, and the money was in part used by you here, it was taxable. Perhaps you can bring with you when you come some kind of declaration about the source of payment of your salary.

I have had the remaining water pumped out of the cistern which was contaminated last summer, and the cistern cleaned. I hope it will be all right now. When Schmidt leaves (inshallah) I plan to convert his room into an ironing room, so as to leave the present ironing room, next door to the kitchen, as a room for the servants. At present they have nowhere to sit. Schmidt affirms that he is going to stay in Denmark only one week, as he is too busy here with the publication of his book, (I believe he is also writing a book against the Jews). He thought he was just going to lock the door of his room and return after a few weeks. Under the pretext of whitewashing, I got him to put his papers into some parking cases which I provided, but he is pressing me for a definite promise that he can come back here. Of course I am not going to give him such a promise, and I am going to talk to Miss Egblad and ask her to write to Denmark about him, suggesting that he is not fit to be in Palestine on his own, which is only too true.

Sukenik had to eat his words about his “lamentation over the death of Christ”. Hamilton made him issue, together with himself, a denial, which is really nothing but a snub. The name Jesus does occur in a three word Greek inscription, but malicious people say Sukenik read Jesus Oivavoi where there is nothing but the Greek genitive cu. I had an airmail letter from some clergyman in Washington (which by the way took only 12 days) asking me very urgently to send him a photograph of “the urn showing the crucifixion of Jesus”.
I imagine that from the newspapers in America you might think that the country is on the brink of riots. Actually, no feeling of tension such as there was during the previous riots exists at all. The foreign correspondents sitting here have nothing to do, and to justify their existence, send out telegrams about tension. During the Balfour Bay Arab strike, for instance, a great many Arabs went to take the air in Jewish quarters and sat about in Jewish cafes. It was more in the nature of a holiday for them than a political demonstration.
With best regards from both of us,
Yours sincerely

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
November 26, 1945
Dear Nelson,

Thank you for your letter of November 2nd, which arrived on November 16th. I hope you have received my letters all right, and the books which I sent you.

I am now sending you with this letter by letter-mail a copy of the Hebrw OSJ which Gordon of the Mosad Bialik sent me today. He sent me 10 copies altogether. The other 9 copies I am sending you by book post, but I thought you would like to see one copy as soon as possible. I think it is a creditable effort, the jacket is charming, the paper better than most book nowadays, and there are only a few mistakes. The photos are no worse than in the English lithoprinted edition. Gordon says you are entitled to 10 free copies only.

As I wrote to you before, I have spoken to Gordon about printing the plates in America, but he wanted to know the cost before he would consent. In principle he is of course only too willing, also about the money. I cannot imagine that printing and paper can be more expensive in America than in Palestine today.

I am glad to hear that 50 copies of the Biblical Archaeologist are going to be sent out here for distribution on subscriptions. Before I got your letter I had written to Dr. Burrows, ordering the BA, Bulletin etc. on behalf of various people. The only snag is that some of the prospective subscribers are bookshops, who are very anxious to receive the BA at the same time as other bookshops receive it directly from America, as apparently some do. If we have to distribute it from here there is bound to be a delay of at least a day or two. The only way to remedy it would be to have all subscriptions pass through our office here, so that all subscribers in Palestine receive their copies through us simultaneously.

Schmidt has left today, after various false starts. Do you think I can refuse to take him in if and when he comes back? I am going to speak to Miss Egblad about him and make her write to Denmark to try and influence his Committee to keep him there.

You probably read about events in Palestine. You needn’t worry about the School, since there is no Arab-Jewish tension or trouble whatsoever. In general, in the mixed towns there is nothing to be felt.
Could you inquire from Dr. Burrows’ office whether they are going to send out to us the periodicals they were holding (exchanges mainly) for us. They sent us a list last year, and I made a selected list from it and sent it to them together with the list of books to be ordered. Up to now I have received only “Theologische Studien and Kritiken of that lot, and this particular periodical is one which was not on my selected list, as we have it here already. Also the books from the Chicago University Press which we ordered and for which we sent a special import license, have not arrived yet. There is also the matter of the bill for the Ecole Biblique.

The Hostel is emptyish. Mr. Johns of the Department of Antiquities is staying here pending the arrival of his wife. Otherwise it is the same people as before. Mrs. Kirkman has left for England with her baby. Mrs. Perryman is having her baby in January. I have told them about your wanting the sitting room and the two bedrooms, and I have offered them instead one of the rooms in the Hostel furnished as a sitting room. They are quite willing. Mrs.

Perryman plans to go to Europe in April anyway.

I shall write again at the beginning of December, when I have the November accounts ready.
With best wishes for the New Year and regard to your family,
Yours sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
December 17, 1945
Dear Nelson,

Herewith the monthly accounts and the broken down account. Also a letter from Shukri, which I wrote at his dictation. Your letter to him was only 9 days on the way.

As I wrote to you on November 26th, Schmidt left. I have had his room cleaned thoroughly, and white-washed. Meanwhile I have received a telegram from Dr. Burrows, addressed to Schmidt, telling him that you have promised that he can come back here when he returns to Denmark. This was of course a blow to me. I imagine Dr. Albright persuaded you. I have spoken to Miss Egblad, and she told me that Schmidt’s Danish Archaeological Committee has nothing to do with Schmidt any more. They have advised him not to return to Palestine and will not pay for his fare or help to get him his ticket. They are also no longer responsible for him in any way. Of course, there is nothing to prevent him from coming back on his own; I believe he has a little money in Denmark, and he is a free agent. I fear that if we take him in now, we shall have to suffer him until his death. He is bound to become progressively worse. Wouldn’t it be possible for you first to explain to Dr. Albright how much he has deteriorated lately and also that The Danish Committee is no longer responsible for him, and then to write to this Danish Committee, describe his lovely ways, and ask them, for Schmidt’s own sake, to keep him in Denmark with someone to look after him. Schmidt is 72, I believe, and in his own interests he can’t go on living like an animal without any care. We cannot possibly provide this care. The address of the head of this Danish Committee is: H.P. Hjerl Hansen, 26, Set. Annae Plads, Copenhagen K, Denmark. Menawhile I have sent on the telegram by mail to Schmidt care of the above address, and am not doing anything further about the rooms downstairs. At the same opportunity, I had most of the rooms and the passage in the basement whitewashed. It needed it badly.
Miss Willing left finally yesterday. I am quite convinced in my own mind, although I cannot prove it, that she took with her some of our spoons, and tablecloth with napkins and several other things. Anything she got into her clutches never reappeared. I had several tussles with her, in which I practically accused her of taking things, without calling her actually “thief”. She swallows insults like anything, but the things do not appear. The Hostel is still emptyish. Capt. Dunkerley left to become a Civil Servant in Hongkong. Instead we have two English girls, one of them an ATS officer. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkbride and a friend were here last month when the new High Commissioner arrived. Young Ian Kirkbride was here on frequent occasions, also in December.

I have finished the checking of the library. I enclose a list of the missing books. As you see, most of it is Arabic, and I am wondering if perhaps possibly Glidden could have carried some off inadvertently when he left in 1940. I know most of the people who use the library, and there is not a single Arabist among them.

I looked up on our loan book some years back, and some of these books were taken out by Glidden when he was here. They are marked as returned in the loan book, but perhaps there might be some mistake. Perhaps, if and when you see Glidden in Washington, you might let him look at the list. Perhaps he can remember something about the books. As against the loss of these books, some books which were missing in the 1935 check and the 1940 check, have turned up now. A book which I could not find for over a year, has turned up as soon as I announced that I was closing the library for a check. Now every book and every index card has been through my hands, and I have established a system whereby the checking is made much easier, and can be done in a few days.
I wanted to ask you for a personal favour. Would it be possible for you to have sent to me the catalogue of a good Cincinnati department store, (Men’s, Women’s and children’s clothing) which goes in for mail orders abroad? If I order anything, would it be possible for Helen’s office to pay the bills?

Is there any news about the possibility of getting sheets, etc. from America for the School here? I saw in the paper recently that export of cotton piece goods has been removed from the list of restricted goods in America. If we can’t get things from America, we shall have to spend at least 60 pounds at the beginning of the summer for the most essential things only.

Leon Hoffman just telephoned. He wants to stay here for a month or so. He says Ruth is coming here in April.
The servants have been behaving no badly. I fear that Khalil is keeping very bad company lately, a cousing of Shukri’s, who is a well known thief. He does not go home for several nights in succession, and the other servants say he has a gun. He has been a bit surly over cleaning the kitchen, but I think he is getting over it. Emily, I fear, has been sesan by the guest taking things like cigarettes and chocolates. I am getting rid of her on January 1st, but have promised her mother, Umm Hanna, not to say anything to the others about the reasons for her dismissal, and for many years, if you remember. Mahmuh, the new gardener, is a real treasure. He actually works. For Christmas, I am planning to give the servants an extra service payment, and to include Mahmud at the same rate. There certainly is something in Omar’s family which is missing in most Arabs.

I hope the December annual Meeting of the Schools decided to reopen the School for students as soon as possible. I wonder what you are going to do about the Fellowships. If they are paid out at the same rate as before, a sum sufficient to keep a student here for a year is now barely sufficient for 4-5 months.
With best regards to your family from both of us,

Yours very sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

1946

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
January 10, 1946
Dear Nelson,

I am enclosing the monthly statements and the broken down account I haven’t had any news from you since your letter of Nov. 2nd. I hope everything is all right. Leon Hoffman, who is now staying at the School, told me that Helen had had an operation. I hope it was nothing serious and that she is quite recovered.

I have something very unpleasant to report about Khalil. Some weeks ago, Mrs. Kirk missed a brooch and a ring, worth together about LP 45.-. Mrs. Kirk suspected Emily (Umm Hanna’s daughter) of the theft, as she was definitely known to help herself to things such as sweets or cigarettes. I sacked Emily, although she protested her innocence, as I had been meaning to let her go on January 1st anyway, as I wrote to you in my last letter. Then, a few days ago, I noticed that my gold bracelet had gone. I hadn’t worn it for some two weeks, and it could have been stolen while Emily was still there. Then Mrs. Kirk and I went to the police, and notified them of the theft. The police advised to us to go from one jeweller’s shop to the next, and try and see if any of the three missing pieces of jewellery were for sale. They also searched Emily’s house without any result. Mrs. Kirk and I went one afternoon through most of the shops in the Old City and Jaffa Road, and in a shop in Jaffa Road, opposite Barclays Bank, she spotted her brooch. We immediately called up the Mea Shearim police station and when a constable came, we went with him into the jeweller’s shop. The shopkeeper, one Arzyeli, said he had bought the brooch from an Arab, thin, well dressed, small moutache, and deaf! He did not know his name, but this Arab had been in his shop several times during the last two years to have his watch mended. The next day Khalil was fetched to the Mea Shearim police station and in an identification parade the shopkeeper and his assistant independently identified Khalil as the man who had sold them the brooch. So now he is in prison and will be committed for trial before a Magistrate within a few weeks. I imagine he will get some months’ prison sentence. As soon as the jewellery was found to be missing, all the servants told me they were sure it was Khalil who had taken it, and told me all sorts of stories about his habits and friends etc. I always discount what they say about each other, but this time it seems they were right. I am very sorry for his wife and old mother and five children. I wnted to send them the wages we still owe Khalil, but the police inspector said I shouldn’t. Shukri is very pleased about it, as he is mortally afraid of Khalil, and says he has a gun. The way it has turned out, Khalil has been pinned down as a thief without any of the other servants being involved as witnesses or informers. He also hinted to me that Khalil had tried to get him (Shukri) sacked from the School, and to insinuate things against him, while he was a thief himself all the time!

Another unpleasant things, but of a different kind, has happened here. Omar apparently had a small stroke. One morning he woke up unable to move on arm and leg. At his request I called Canaan, who diagnosed a week in bed here in his room, I sent him home for a week to recuperate. Canaan says he can work again. Omar himself does not realize the seriousness of his illness. His arm and leg are still not as strong as they were.

I am very annoyed with Canaan. He did not take Omar’s blood pressure, and although I talked it over with him and he promised me to do it, he did not take a blood test. He may have syphilis; after all, as far as I can make out from Berman, a stroke at the age of 28 or 29 is very unusual. In any case, at that stage, it would not be catching, so one need not worry about the guests here. Dr. Berman is now going to take him to Dr. Halpern at the Hadassah clinic. Khalil was arrested on the morning of the first day Omar returned to work, which is a good thing for the School, but I am worried about the work being too much for Omar. We are looing for another waiter, but it is difficult to find a good one. Omar send you all sorts of messages. He has become the father of a daughter about a month ago. He asked me to tell you that there are six oranges on the tree in front of the kitchen, and that he is going to keep some of them on the tree for you. If you don’t come soon, the oranges are going to be dry.

I suppose we could have Mohammed, Omar’s cousin, who used to be cook at Miss Carey’s house in Ain Karim, as a waiter and second cook. I believe he is very good, and we have been very lucky in Omar’s family up till now. But I am chary of having three Moslem,s members of one family, in the house. So I am leaving this until you come. If we find another good waiter until then, so much the better. If not, you can decide.

I suppose you have read about the bombs in the CID buildings. The whole corner opposite the Princess Mary Ave. corner has collapsed. After that the telephones in the whole town were disconnected for about three days. We were not in the curfew area. The police search and searched, but nothing was found. Now they have barricaded the whole sidewalk opposite the Post Office with barbed wire. They sudden cordon off a part of the town, take all males between 15 and 100 to an open space, and after a while begin to screen them and send some home and some not. The ones they think are suspect, they send to Latrun. No place to sit, food or drink are provided for the people detained sometimes for a whole day. People for instance, in whose house steel helmets marked with ARP insignia are found, are suspect. Well, there must be at least 1500 such people, because that’s what the membership of ARP was during the war. As you know, no trial is necessary to send a person to Latrun detention camp.

As I mentioned above, Leon Hoffman lives here, that is, he only has room and breakfast. Otherwise, there is only one new person, a Mr. Sproul, Assistant Chief Engineer in the Post Office. Johns is leaving on Sunday. His wife is returning from England. Lady Glubb is again staying here.

You had very snooty letter from the Rotary here, which I opened and answered, complaining that you did not attend their meetings. I wrote saying that you have been in America since August. I don’t think it was a circular, because it arrived by express mail.

Gordon of the Mosad Bialik telephoned me, worrying why he had not received an answer from you to his letter about the plates. He says he is going to wire. The translation of the book has been started, but I have not had any of it yet, because he says that the translator is going to deliver the manuscript to him in two parts only.
The more I think about Schmidt, the angrier I become. Why should we have to keep this filthy old anti-semite living here when now he has the means to live in Denmark. I believe he has written to America complaining about your having people in for drinks, and about me for various other reasons, and about everything. He is in no way connected with the American Schools, and we have no obligation whatsoever towards him. I really see no reason why I should have him around, sitting in the kitchen and cursing the Jews with the servants, cursing the Moslems in the form of poor Mahmud etc.

The 50 copies of the BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGIST which you mentioned in your letter of Nov. 2nd have not yet arrived. I have already a list of people wanting subscriptions to the BA. I have had a long letter from Dr. Burrows, of Nov. 29th, enclosing a list of the books sent to us, with prices. From that I shall compile a bill for the Ecole Biblique. He also sends me an extract from a letter from the University of Chicago Library regarding the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, asking why we want a duplicate series sent when we have been receiving the Journal all along. Of course, this duplicate series was meant for the Ecole Biblique. It was listed among the books to be ordered, and as far as I know the order still stands. Our copy of the Journal comes to us of an exchange basis. Yesterday I received a notification from M. Dizengoff & Co, Haifa, that a box of books addressed to us is arriving of the s/s Ensley City on January 5th. I imagine those are the books from the University of Chicago Press.
While writing this letter, the bell rang, and postman gave me your letter of January 1st. I am very sorry to hear about Helen’s operation, but glad to know that she had recovered so well. Please give her my best regards. I was very glad to hear about Schmidt. In case he should come back before your return, I shall show Miss Egblad your letter to Hansen.

I am sorry that you did not receive my letter of November 26th. In the same letter I had sent you by first class letter mail a copy of the Hebrew OSJ. The other 9 copies I sent you by book post. I hope you have received them by now. I hope you received my letters of October 7th and November 8th with the enclosures.

I am very glad to hear that the School is going to reopen this autum, and that the graduate students are so promising. You will be able to tell me more details when you return.

Naturally, I did not give your letter to Khalil. When you return, we might discuss whether in view of his long service to the School, we might give his family some financial compensation. What fools people like him are, selling stolen property openly, for a fraction of its real value.

When is the Jordan going to appear? I should very much like to see it. If it is out in time, I hope you are going to bring some copies with you.

With best regard from both of us,
Yours sincerely,
D. Pommerantz

1947

AMERICAN SCHOOLS
OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
409 PROSPECT STREET
NEW HAVEN, CONN.
May 7, 1947.
Dear Dr. Glueck:

Enclosed is the list of the pottery. Some of the paper bags had almost disintegrated but by handling the material myself, I am sure that no groups got mixed up with other groups. The ones listed as “Phases” are in good condition, as the bags were sturdier and they were also in a cotton sack. If you want these things, I am almost sure I can send them by a student going out that way in June.

Dr. Burrows asked me to let you know that we did not ship any sherds to our Corporation members. The Smithsonian and the Cincinnati Art Museum were the only places where a quantity of pottery was sent. I will check with Dr. Engbeg. as there is a faint thought in my mind that one of the southern colleges had a few pieces which were sent directly from your own collection, but until I talk with him, I cannot be sure. If he remembers the name of the place, I can then look up the correspondence and let you know.

Sincerely,
Gladys R. Walton

—

AMERICAN SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL RESEARCH
JERUSALEM, PALESTINE
February 7, 1947
Dear Nelson,

Prof. Jeffery’s two telegrams will have explained the situation to you. We had some very hectic days here, with Mrs. Jeffery very near hysterics, and Prof. Jeffery resigned to going to Egypt, and everybody running around in circles, getting Egyptian visas for the Jefferys, phoning Transjordan for any available accommodation, seeing the American Consul (who by the way refused to interfere in any way) etc. In the end, Prof. Jeffery was persuaded by his wife and myself to try and apply again to the District Commissioner and get permission to stay. Fortunately, he was successful in this. American citizens are unaffected.

The situation here is very bad. All of it, of course, is this time of British origin. I imagine you have read in the American newspapers of the wholesale evictions from Rehavia. People are absolutely desperate. There is in fact nowhere to go, especially as many people have prepaid their rent one or two or three years in advance, and it has been officially said that they have to go on paying the rent for the apartments they have vacated. People are seething with fury and indignation, and there is absolutely nothing one can do about it. There are rumours that the original plan to take all of Rehavia, but that for the moment they have only taken a part. There is nothing or nobody to prevent them from taking anything they want, since there is no other purpose behind the evictions except the wish to spoil, destroy and humiliate. People are asked to leave within 48 hours, and when they say that they have nowhere to go, the answer is often: “You wanted to bring in 100.00 refugees and said there was room for them”. The worst of all is the feeling of insecurity and malevolence. Nobody knows what is going to happen, and there are rumours of all kinds. People are hoarding food, as there are persistent rumours that the British mean to paralyse food distribution as far as possible. This is partly confirmed by today’s paper, where it says that the British Government has forbidden ships to load goods in Australia consigned to Palestine. The British women and children being sent within 3 days out of the country and the herding together of the remaining British officials in security zones, with military escorts for every step, and making for a panicky atmosphere. Many of the British were highly indignant, and one man even resigned when his wife did not receive permission to stay and returned with her to England. Clark of Barclays said he would close the Bank and leave if his wife were not permitted to stay, and so she was allowed to stay. All the houses and flats left by the British who are now all forced to live within the security zones, are kept empty and the government refused all responsibility for trying to find rooms for the evicted people. Iliffe too had to leave here much to his regret, and has gone to live in the German Colony. The Petries left too; with the old lady’s usual luck, she now got passage to England for herself and Ann free. She meant to go anyway in a few weeks.

The School is all right, and I should say that as far as one can tell, it will continue to be so. The possibility of Arab riots is very vague, as I think it highly unlikely that the Jews will get anything near good enough for the Arabs to riot about. People are in a terrible mood, far worse than during the most threatening days of the war. Cafes are empty, people don’t buy clothes. Jewish leadership does not inspire confidence either. Everything the British will do to oppress the population makes willing recruits and sympathizers for the terrorists. The impression here is overwhelming that that is exactly what is wanted by the British. The army wants a showdown in order to get their hands on government in Palestine, and if in the process Jewish economy in Palestine is damaged, so much the better. They want to make our life a misery so that any solution, even a very bad one, seems acceptable.
Runner is leaving on the Marine Carp on February 14th. The others are staying on. I imagine you will have received a letter from Miss Brown about the offer of Pope’s Hostel allowance and her job. She seemed overjoyed at getting this job with Reuters, since the insecurity of her position was a great strain on her nerves. The prospect of troubles does not seem to deter her.

Dr. Beran is ill and at Hadassah. He had a severe attack of vertigo and nausea, and must stay in bed there for about 10 days. The doctors say something has gone wrong with the labyrinth in his ear.
As far as getting people to stay at the School is concerned, I think one has to exercise a great deal of discretion. Up to now none of the evicted people have applied, and I should think that the likelihood of their wanting to live in this neighbourhood is very small. Prof. Jeffery thought that we ought to take some of them if they apply, but you can rely on me to be very careful.

With best regards to everybody in your family,
Sincerely yours
D. Pommerantz

—

Cincinnati, Ohio,
February 24, 1947.
Dear Inna,

Your letter of February 7 came two days ago. I am glad that the District Commissioner gave the necessary permission for the Jefferys to remain. As a result of the cable to the High Commissioner he would have received permission anyway. H. E. cabled me that they were not to be evacuated.

Your letter about conditions in Jerusalem and the country confirmed what I already learned from other sources. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Novomeysky in New York and they had had a number of cables and letters dealing with the situation. It is very hard for me to be away from Jerusalem and the School under any circumstances and particularly under these.

I am not worried about the School at all. With the Jefferys remaining there the burden of my cable to you with regard to the possibility of your moving back is obviated. Nor am I concerned about the people you and Dr. Jeffery in consultation may decide to let in or not let into the Hotel of the School. You understand me when I say that each applicant for admission to the Hostel must be judged only on his or her personal merits and nothing else. I am sorry that Iliffe had to leave and I hope that he will be able to return. I note that Runner left on the Marine Carp on February 14 and I assume that I shall hear from him in due course.

I am wondering if Hamilton every sent that letter he was writing to me in regard to the photographs. If so, I am wondering if Schweig is making any progress towards printing them at the Museum. What progress, if any, has Schweig made with the photographs he is printing with me privately at his own home? I am very anxious to secure both groups as soon as possible. Will you please make it a point of keeping after Schweig. Have you sent the books to me that are on my deak and have the boxes for the Smithsonian been dispatched?

I had a long talk with Dr. Burrows and Mrs. Walton and I believe we discussed everything that was under consideration at the School when I left. Please keep me in touch in as full detail as possible of what is going on at the School and in the country. I am just starved for news about both and your letters will serve slightly to assuage my violent homesickness for Jerusalem and particularly for the School. Just this moment the mail brought an envelope from you containing the postcards from the Museum which I had left to be sent. With very best regards to you and Leo and to all the members of the School, and assuming that little David is all right, I remain,

As ever,
Nelson Glueck

—

23/11/1947
My dear Nelson,

It is long since I heard any news of you; how do you find your new job? There are a few things I am wanting rather urgently from you, but I had better explain the position first. We are hoping to build a museum here next year, with Austen Harrison an architect, and it is proposed to incorporated some of the Tannur material in the structure, in particular the large Atargatis. I believe Fisher did some reconstructions of various parts of the temple for you, and I need copies of these reconstructions to see just how much it is possible to incorporate. Could you please let me have them by return airmail. How is the publication of Tannur and Aqaba going on? I hope it won’t be long now before both these appear; they really should be given precedence over the survey, in my opinion.
We have had a most exciting tomb group from Amman, of one [?], as testified by his official seal ring. There are many other seals (10 in all), beside a mass of pottery and three pottery coffins. Wonderful to get the Late Iron Age stuff so firmly dated at last.

We are now face with the problem of bringing all our antiquities back from Palestine before anyone else gets his hands on them, or even worse fates befall them. Life gets very complicated!
Best wishes to Helen and family: I hope they are all well.

Yours,
Harding

— 1950s —

1951

American School of Oriental Research
Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jordan, via Amman.
July 29, 1951.
Nelson Glueck;
Hebrew Union College,
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A.
Dear Dr. Glueck:

It was good to hear from you and to receive such specific instructions. We have finished cleaning the basement and I think I know what stuff down there is yours. I have assembled and repacked your slides – although some were broken and have stowed them away and labeled them, with your photographs, plates and negatives in a safe place. We also found some of your papers, and a top hat and your (?) tennis racket and balls. We have saved your bags of flints, your pottery from Tell Deir Allah and other materials. We have not disposed of any of your material so far. But we have not touched the attic or shed yet. Incidentally I have seen none of your slag specimens in the basement but they may be somewhere else.

Copies of your volume IV are here at the School for sale. I hear that Harding received his copy direct from New Haven, so I expect Kirkbride and Glubb Pasha did too. Both Harding and Kirkbride are in England at present.

In spite of foreign news to the contrary, we have been quite safe and secure in Jerusalem. The King’s assassination was a tragedy and there was some tension naturally as a result of it, but at no time was there any anti-foreign feeling evident and certainly no guards were posted at foreign institutions.

My wife joins me in sending our best wishes to Mrs. Glueck and yourself,

Very sincerely,

D. Tushingham,

Acting Director