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REF ID:A62559 

Protessor George x • .lie.Crack.en 

Cf/7 25th Street 

Des Moines l2, Iowa 

Dear Georger 

1.8 - 1955 

Receipt o'! your veey nice letter ot 5 April. 1955 ia ackno1<1ledged 

Thank you ror 7our t'lat.teririg remarks about our anuscript on the 

alleged ciphers 1n FJhakeapeare.. It w.a Yel7 nice to win the prise ud. 

it Vill also be :nice to hear favorable news rrom the prospective pu.bli•her vho bas the JIBmlScript un&:r cona14eration. We have good hopes 

that our t1rat choice or pibl.1ah1ng house) one which approached ua and 

not vice verea, will be the one that v1ll actually put it ou~. 

I had no idea that the news about our good tortuna in the :torego1ng bad gone u tar aa it apparently went. It' ;you still have the 

1 tea as 1 t appeared in yt:AJ.r local 'Plper and don't want 1 t, I 'WOUld be 

very glad to have it.. John Coddington was quite thoughtful in •ending 

you. the account which appeared 1n the 'Waahington Poat .. 

I waa very much interested. 1n what you told me about the three 

books on vhich 1ou are •"Orking at the JDDent. I guess I do not h&ve ·. to tell ;you au;ything about the extra work and burden which one assume~ 

in undertaking to do aerioua writing outside ot ott1ce ho\lra and \ 

aMition to one'• usual work. It ia p0aaible that this aM1t1om.l 1 

burden ts what wu rea-ponaible f'or r.f bartng autt'ered a cor013B17 occl~ion 

the very day th&t the announcement ot our winn:tng the Folger Shakeapea:H 

Library ave.rd w.s pt.tbliahed. The attack occurred early in the morning,\ 

eoon after I had gotten up, and by noon l vaa on -.v ~ to George Wash-',. 

ington Un1vera1ty Hospital. in an Ulbulance. I was in the hospital f(g \.' 

one month, f'lat on IQ" back au the time, and. then came baJne by uibulance 

& couple O't veeka ago. I am ambulatory nov, but confined to the aecoud. 

tloor ot our house until tbe a.all elevator vhich we decided to imstall 

goes into operatiOD eometime- thi• week... We l1bt our house ao mu.ch we 

Just couldn't give it up ~or an apartment again. or~ the .much-touted 

"ranibler" type at house. 'We 're Just a couple or blocks f'ram the J'olger ~~ 

anct the Congress1oml Libraries. \ 

I shall be ve-ey happ;r to learn turther detail• about your ovn two 

book• and bow they f'are upon publication. Vill it be the Drake Univerait7 Pre•• or •r:mie other P.re11a ror your ow.t I note what )"OU aq about Stantor¢ 

taking on the MacJ"arlaDd biography. 

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@'pproved for Release by NSA on 07-29-2014 pursuantto E.O. 1352a l I 

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REF ID:A62559 

I ai.o note vith mch interest what #"OU tell me about your .mUitar,y 

activities. I am. glad to aee that you are continuing to •intain an 

active 1ntereat tbereil:i, and to bu11d up credits toward 1'0Ul" retirement 

u a Reserve Ot.ticer. I am aorry to ~ that I lliaaed qualit)'1llg t'or 

the 20 yee.ra eenice, because I lacked &K.J1Dethicg less than a month'• time 

and there seems to be no ve:y Q'f. ma.king up tor that deficiency. )\y" ca.ee 

baa been bef'ore the lloa.rd -ror the Correction ~ M111ta.ey" Record.a. ror aome 

ti.me; the caae 'IMS turned down once because one or the t'1ve mielibera i• a 

"meanie," 'but it D.J' be up ror review again aoon. There are about 50 otbara 

in 381' .._ boat in thia regard. and 1t ~ 'be necessary to ge"t apecial 

lJl&i•lation. 

ifo progrt!llS baa been -.de on the Vo)'?lich Jllllluscript. I have had 

no time to devote to 1t. lbwever,, I at:quired soma extremeq interesting 

world:ng papers and notea prepared. 'b7 my friend J'atber Theodore c. Petersen, 

of St. Paul•• College, here in Washington. A wondert'ul. an al3d acbolar 1 

I. hope to bave t'Urther talk.a "1th hill while I am. home 1"roDl the ottice reeuperating. 

I indeed recall qU1te well that you got to Jmov Prof'eaeor ltentJ in 

fact, you aent :e a.tract• tram 110J1Jt or your correspondence with bbl &r.14 

I have kept them v1 th '141 Voyn1ch documents. Al.ao I have mintained 

occaa1ona.l contact vi.th Mrs. Voyn1ch, who 1a still very much intere1ted 1n 

1t _.en at her extreme~ advanced age. I have never met her nor her cam.-

l*Uioa., secretary,, and, I belleve 1 a co-owner ot the manuscript, vhieh 

atill.repoaea in the vaults at the Guaranty Trust Company, in lltw York. 

Sincere;q, 

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