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which are ephemeral in nature, a Zeiss instrument would continue to serve for at least a quarter of a century. Our new museum, located in the heart of Washington, will enjoy the visits of approximately seven million people a year, from all over our globe, and this product of German ingenuity and craftsmanship would be an integral part of our planetarium presentations.

"I am writing to you at this particular time because the complex nature of planetarium equipment requires two years in advance for planning the design and its installation. I realize that it may seem premature for your government to make a sizeable commitment of this nature so far in advance, but the time is rapidly approaching when the Smithsonian must prepare alternate plans in the event my proposal does not meet with your approval. Since the Zeiss is clearly our first choice, I did want to seek your assistance first, and I hope that it may be possible for you to give me an indication of how we might proceed in this important matter."

We have now heard unofficially that the Federal Republic of Germany will act favorably on our request and donate this equipment which is valued at approximately $600,000., with the proviso that the area to house the planetarium be named the "Albert Einstein Spacearium."

The name Albert Einstein, of course, is well known to all