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^[[SPa-1]]
^[[stamp]] RECEIVED JAN 9 1967 OFFICE OF ECOLOGY]]

[[preprinted]]  SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON, D. C. [[/preprinted]]

29 December 1966
c/o U.S. Embassy
Seoul, Korea

Dr. Lee M. Talbot
Office of Ecology
Museum of Natural History
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C. 20560

Thanks for your recent letter with the references to some pertinent papers on Korea. I did not have references to any of those which you sent. I find it most confusing to try to locate papers after finding the reference, even to things tht were published here in Korea. The library here on the campus completely baffles me, and it apparently is not much better for the Korean biologist. The only thing you can find are such things that are published in standard journals. Now, my secretary has a list of all the scientific journals in Korea, and I asked her to find one library here in Seoul where the journal could be found. As you can well imagine, libraries do not stock all the journals that are published here, not to mention foreign ones.

Yes, working heere in Korea is probably the most confusing place I have ever been.  Trying to get beyond the discussion stage on any work is like the proverbial "pulling hens teeth". On everything things seem to go well until it is time to get down to business with the work then everything seems to break down completely. There is mass confusion among everyone, and no one seem ^[[to know]] what to do, what to say, or how to do the most minor thing.  Is this normal for all Asian countries that you have worked in?  After being here this long, I can't imagine this part of the world getting very far in industrial development or scientific development, or any other kind of development without massive help from somewhere else, if they expect to advance faster than populations. Korea is a study in back slapping, hand shaking, intrigue but yet they know how to have a good time if the money is available.

In spite of all this I think we are making good progress in getting some plans going. It has taken three months, and maybe that is the usual time for such things. It may be a blessing that we did not have any vehicles before now so the scientist that would have a good time to think of their work.

Give my regards to every one.

Sincerely,

^[[signed]] Ed [[/signed]]

Edwin L. Tyson