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NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM [[IMAGE]] SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
WASHINGTON D.C. 20560

October 9, 1986

Ms. Ann Wood
15 Eaglehead
Manchester, Massachusetts 01944

Dear Ann:

What a pleasure it was to spend last Friday afternoon viewing your ATA treasures. I am glad that you have agreed to donate this material to the Museum. One thing I forgot to really discuss with you was whether you still have your uniform. If so, would you consider donating it to the Museum? In the meantime, I will look forward to receiving your files and maps.

I have enclosed copies of question sheets I use when conducting oral history interviews. They are only guidelines, however, not authoritative manuals. Video adds another dimension to interviews. You have to decide if you want to conduct a series of visual oral history interviews or create a documentary film. You will need to do the former in order to make the latter.

The next major decision is what story you want to tell. Is this to be Ann Wood's story of the ATA or a general piece on the organization? Both would be valuable contributions, but I would argue in favor of Ann Wood's (and others') because its easy to learn about the ATA, but it is the anecdotes and stories of the participants that make history come alive.

Whether this is an amateur or professional production, I'm sure the foundation can provide lots of advice on shooting and editing techniques. There is no question that this is a challenging project, but when complete it will represent a major contribution to the knowledge on the ATA and its participants. Best of luck.

Sincerely,

Debbie
Deborah G. Douglas
Aeronautics Department