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18 November 1966

AIR MAIL

Dr. Edwin L. Tyson
c/o American Embassy
APO San Franciso  96301

Dear Ed:

I have your letter of 4 November.  There are no problems with your expense vouchers and travel pay here at the Smithsonian other than the normal time lag.  I will try to move the matter along.

By all means move ahead with any opportunities for Korean scientists to conduct ecological research with funds through the Army R&D group.  You seem to have made a good contact in Dr. George Davis.

Neither you nor the Korean scientists may be able to accomplish much int he way of actual field research during the current year, but at least the vehicles will be on hand and the work will have been initiated.  The main emphasis must be on the 5-year plan, and I think this will be successful if Dr. Ke Chung Kim can provide the assistance we anticipate.  For the ultimate plan I think we need a combination of an American scientist and someone like Ke Chung Kim to actually carry out the program and develop the truly long-range aspects.

Regarding the funds for this project, I am enclosing a letter drafted by Phillip Babcock, Supervisory Accountant of the Smithsonian Fiscal Division, explaining procedures.  It is highly important to keep careful records of expenditures and collect appropriate receipts.  Somehow we have to convince our Korean colleagues that this project is not part of a foreign-aid program and that we are accountable for all expenditures.  We must not get caught without records that can be submitted to an auditor.

I spoke with Dr. Kim today to arrange for his visit to Washington 5-7 December for briefings with relevant persons prior to his trip to Korea in January.  He was pleased to receive your nice letter to him.

Give my best regards to Aura.

Sincerely yours,

Helmut K. Buechner
Head, Office of Ecology
Museum of Natural History

Enclosures