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Dr. S.P. Das Gupta, Director
Geological Survey of India
27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Calcutta 700 013, India

Dear Dr. Das Gupta:

Thank you for your letter of June 19, 1976 and for the report on the recovery of the Dhajala meteorite shower.  Dhajala is an important new meteorite, and it is fortunate that such a large quantity was recovered for preservation in scientific institutions.  The description of its recovery will be published in the next [[underlined]]Meteoritical Bulletin[[/underlined]].

I was pleased to hear that you would consider the exchange of an approximately 500 g specimen of the Dhajala meteorite.  Normally meteorites are exchanged on both an equal weight and equal number basis.  Curators are reluctant to add more meteorites to another collection than they add to their own.  I have selected material from the Allende, Mexico, meteorite fall that I feel would be a generous exchange for 500 g of Dhajala.

The Allende meteorite is a rare type, a carbonaceous chondrite Type III.  Since its fall in early 1969, it has attracted a tremendous amount of scientific interest.  It may well be the most extensively studied meteorite to date.  Allende certainly should be represented in your meteorite collection.  The specimens I have selected for your consideration are:

1) USNM-3886, 586 g.  This is a complete individual that was found 3 kms SE of Valle de Allende and obtained for us by Jack R. Hyde in May-June 1969, shortly after the fall.  It is a complete individual of exhibit quality, typical of many that were recovered.

2) USNM-3655, 121 g.  This is a fragment that could be used for research needs without cutting the large individual.  Its broken surfaces show many of the interesting petrographic features of this meteorite.

3) USNM-3529, split 22, position 3, 26.2 g.  A standard sample has been prepared from the Allende meteorite and studied in many laboratories around the World. This 26.2 g split of meteorite powder is a large sample of this important reference material.  Enclosed with this letter is information about the preparation and purpose of this material.