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Robert Woods Bliss to Royall Tyler, December 2, 1949 [1]

December 2, 1949

Royall Tyler, Esquire

Hotel Normandy

Beyrouth, Lebanon

Dear Royall,

Your interesting and very welcome letter of November 21st reached us on the 29th, and we were naturally delighted to hear from you. Enclosed is a confirmation of the cableSee telegram of November 29, 1949. I sent you the same night that you[r] letter came, and I hope it reached you in understandable form.

You learned from the cable that we decided to acquire the little sixth century Byzantine capitalBZ.1950.24. and the little bronze enameled lamp.BZ.1950.19. Of the eight other bronze objects there were only two (Your Nos. 5BZ.1950.25. and 7BZ.1950.26.) which would be useful to add to the Dumbarton Oaks collection. The others were more or less duplicates of what is already there. I hope BustrosElias (Elie) Bustros, an antiquities dealer in Beirut, Lebanon. is agreeable to selling those two separate from the others.

We duly noted your advice in regard to bargaining and so accept the objects at the prices placed upon them, because you said that you could arrange to have payment deferred until the receipt of the objects and also because I do not know what the price of the two bronzes would be. I am not sending you or BustrosElias (Elie) Bustros, an antiquities dealer in Beirut, Lebanon. a cheque. No doubt he will accompany his shipment with a bill.

You cannot know what a devastating disappointment it was on our return to Paris to find that you had flown. We had counted so much on those additional days with you to round out our visit of August and September.

Do you return to Paris after December 5th. Or is there some other obligation that will keep you in the Near East? We long to have further news from you and hope that after the press of preparing the final reportThe Final Report (A/AC.25/6) of the United Nations Economic Survey Mission for the Middle East was issued on December 28, 1949. you may snatch a few minutes to write us again.

Mildred is well and eager to start at once to see the Mosque of Omar!The Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem. After the Siege of Jerusalem in 637, the Caliph Omar (579–644) traveled to Jerusalem to accept the surrender. The Mosque of Omar was built in its present design in 1193 in memory of this event. See letter of November 21, 1949.

Much love from us both.

Yours always,

[unsigned]