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1640 East Virginia Avenue
Denver, Colorado
November 24, 1953

Mr. Edward M. Wilson, Chairman
Tribal Executive Committee
The Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Cass Lake, Minnesota

Dear Mr. Wilson:

Ruth Bronson turned over a letter to me from you from a long time back inquiring about whether you could take paprt in the Convention even though your Tribe has not paid dues -- at least that's how I remember the letter. I apologize for not writing to you much sooner, but I was overwhelmed when I reported into the Washington office, and now I've been traveling in the field for four weeks, so your letter has escaped me. Actually at first we postponed answering it because Mrs. Bronson thought it might be possible to find some non-Indian donors to pay dues for tribes without funds or treasuries. I'm not sure if she was able to do this she has written you direct. She had wanted me to get Mr. Short's opinion on whether this would be all right, and I did learn that he thought it was perfectly all right and so informed Mrs. Bronson. Whether she found angels or not, I don't know.

In the meantime, by all means do attend the Convention and while I suppose you could vote only your individual membership -- unless the tribal dues are paid -- you could surely present the official viewpoints of your Tribe and we need you and the Tribe's viewpoints both, very much indeed!

I have been hoping I could get a report out to the Executive Council but it is very hard to concentrate and to get stenographic work done when one is traveling around, however I would like to give you some idea of what I've been doing in this letter, for your information.

I spent exactly three weeks in Washington, two days of which Ruth Bronson and I went to New York to attend a board meeting of ARROW, Inc., to call on the several Foundations that give money for NCAI, or Indian scholarships, or special Indian projects. We had a fine reception everywhere we went and I feel confident some concrete results will be forthcoming in money, at least to help out several fine Indian young people who need help badly to continue their education, to help several Indian school communities, and even to get continued financial support for NCAI.