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Chalet Graa
Gstaad (BO) Switzerland

August 22, 1962

Dear John:

The arrival of your letter of August 17th caused a conscience crisis, as I realize that I had not yet acknowledged receipt of your lines of July 30th. Hence this note will thank you for both.

As to the earlier letter, contrary to your wish, and I do hope you will not take it ill, I will not call up the Vicomtesse, as I do not believe I would have time to call upon her were she to react favorably to my request....!

As regards the other items, we will take them up when we meet again.

The letter from Bernaschina is indeed surprising, a sort of old ghost's return, but here again, instead of returning the photographs directly to him in the so carefully prepared envelope you mailed, I am sending them back to you, for, and I trust you will not mind, I would like to ask you to be good enough to have photographs made of the so-called Rubens and of the two photographs of the two seals, such expenses to be mine, of course.

Neither the ^[["]]Miguel^[["]]-Ange nor the three referring to the Cronier catalogue do we need. The latter,should it not be in our library, is easily enough located in the Frick or elsewhere.

Then,further,from the list he submits I would suggest asking photographs of the Zurburan, the Ribera, the Boucher (grande taille), and the Lucas Cranach. Do ask him, by the same token, for all details regarding these paintings, including the Rubens, of course, as well as the prices. From past experiences you willno doubt be as sceptical as I about the merit of these canvases and, irrespective of this, the prices he will mention will most probably preclude any follow up. However, as long as he writes, why not pursue the conversation at the cost of a stamp.

The Mr. Austin of London he casually mentions means nothing to me.

I realize that I have left out any comments of the ^[["]]Miguel^[["]]-Ange, for even from the poor reproduction, I doubt much that we could hold him responsible for this sketch.

If I mention the fact that I would not be able to follow up your correspondence with the Vicomtesse, it is because I expect hardly to be in Paris before returning to New York - after leaving here on August 31st, I am contemplating three different trips which will leave a balance of three or four days in Paris during which time I shall have to take care of several already planned appointments.

Your address leads me to believe, as I hope, that you too are