gri_2017_m_38_b11_f9_001a

Los Angeles
Nov. 2,1940
Dear Bill:

I have written air mail to New York to return the urns immediately. It is just too
damn bad that my New York agent got in a jam and we will have to take care of him
as he is very active and a very fine gentleman and has a reputation of being very
honest.

The bank will have to return the note for two weeks, so get in touch with Hale and
tell him the sad news. I have demanded from my New York agent the money he owes me,
which would cover the first note, and which he fefused payment on Oct 15th.
Arensberg hasn’t been in yet but ’phoned that he would be down shortly. When he sees
the things he is going to have a hemorrhage. He still owes me enough money to
cover the second note in spite of the fact that I had to discount his account
$800. to bring him back into the fold. I thought this would be the best thing to do
and it worked.

I am taking colored kodachromes of every piece and sending them to the different
museums, and in this way we will pick up quite a lot of business in the coming year.
You would be surprised how beautiful they look in these kodachromes when they are
thrown up on the screen. I have given many lectures showing the kodachromes during
the talk and we are working up a tremendous amount of interest. This has also brought
in people who are going to be potential collectors.

Please send the jade pieces as soon as you can. I will take colored kodachromes of
them with my portrait camera and shoot them around to the different collectors
throughout the country. I think in this way we can sift out the collectors who can
afford to pay for small things. I want to try to get enough ready cash together so
that I can come down in January or the last of Dec. We have some pretty tall work
to do there. If Willkie is elected, business will be 100% better. I hope your
political situation down there will be settled. It is surprising to see how the
Willkie stock has risen. It seems to be more or less of a crusade and I think the
betting is about even now.

I would suggest sending up the things that you have as I need more for the room. The
garden pieces I will sell out quickly as they don’t look quite so good among the
finer things. As you say, we have to establish ourselves to be absolutely on the
square on the authenticity of our pieces, even if it hurts at times, and of course,
I am leaving most of this to you as you should know and should not allow a thing to
come up that there is the slightest question of doubt. I have great faith in you and
don’t want to be disillusioned. I haven’t opened up my room to the public and doubt
whether I will, but I will soon get the ball, rolling and start operations in full.

The new lot looks' marvelous. You ask what kind of material I would like now. They seem
to like the animals in stone and the snake. Also, if you can get ahold of any palms
it would be swell. By all means, try to get the piece from Tampico. It looks very
good. I received the book but as I can’t read Spanish, I just have to look at the
reproduction.

I am going to send you a photograph of the frescoe with its ten million pieces. H[ow]
I will ever get it together, God only knows. When you see the photograph you w[ill]