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Jersey Homesteads
Hightstown, New Jersey
August 2 --- 1941

Mr. Edward B etc
Section of Fine arts
Public Buildings etc
Washington

Dear Ed:

In answer to your letter of August 15th, I am gratified that you and Inslee have corroborated my report on the condition of the Social Security Building wall.

Until now I have received no [[strikethrough]] report [[/strikethrough]] answer from you regarding either the specifications which I rather painstakingly got together, or the report about the wall. The only information I have had was a brief note from Inslee which included the Davis report, [[strikethrough]] and so far as I could see, accepted it as final. [[/strikethrough]] & advised me to go ahead.

On the basis of Inslee's note and the Davis report, I planned to begin work immediately after [[strikethrough]] Labor Day [[/strikethrough]] Sept 1st, and hired my plasterer as of that date.

I am very pleased that you took the trouble to examine the wall personally, and I appreciate very much your asking for a further check-up by a plaster expert.  

I am in something of a quandary about this business at present. I was entirely ready to begin work [[strikethrough]] on the wall, [[/strikethrough]] and [[strikethrough]] anxious to start, yet [[/strikethrough]] impatient to start, yet if there is any chance to remedy the bad state of [[strikethrough]] it [[/strikethrough]] the wall, I feel that I should put everything aside so that it can be done. 

On the other hand, I should be put out seriously by a fruitless delay. I hope that you wont regard this as some sort of artistic flightiness, but I have done a great deal of preparatory work - a number of panels, a good many color details. I feel now that I have the right grasp on just what I want to do, and in addition a certain amount of intensity which seems to be required in beginning a piece of work of this size.

I explain all this to you in order to make you understand how important it is to me to have [[strikethrough]] information about the wall just as [strikethrough]] promptly as possible. I would be awfully glad if you could let me know right away whether [[strikethrough]] there [[/strikethrough]] another report on the wall has been made, and just about what [[strikethrough]] delay to expect, if any.