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J.E.M.

Treasury Department
Office of the Secretary
Oct 13 1871

[[stamp]] THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES [[/stamp]]

Sir:
I am in receipt of your letter of the 7th inst. in which you state the course that has been pursued in converting currency in the hands of the Chief Disbursing Office of you Bureau into bonds of the United States, and ask my opinion as to the legality of the proceeding.

My opinion is that it is illegal, and certainly it is irregular.