stefansson-wrangel-09-13-085-001

C O P Y

New York, Sept. 4., 1923.

My dear Mr. Stefansson:

Before you get this letter the subject of it will
probably have been settled by cable.

When I got your first cable on Sunday asking me to get
in touch with Miss Marbury and Miss Hurst with regard to the disposal
of a series of magazine articles I immediagely tried to get Miss Marbury
on the 'phone and found she was in Canada and would not be back for
at least two weeks. I then got in touch with Miss Hurst and went up to
her apartment to see her. We discussed the matter very fully and she did
not think that there was much chance of selling such a series of articles
withouth the editors being able to see the material. However, we drafted
a telegram to the Saturday Evening Post.

Then it occurred to me that I had better look up Taylor's
contract with the N.A.N.A. which I had seen in the file and which for-
tunately I had taken with me (It was Sunday and the next day was Labor
Day and I have no key to the office). I discovered that undoubtedly
everyone connected with the Wrangel Island expedition was bound, morally
at least, to give the N.A.N.A. the first option on Crawford's story.

As I have already told you, I have been doing some work
for the N.A.N.A. and they called me up that night to edit and amplify
Noice's story which was then coming over the wires. While in their
office I took occasion to sound Pickering out as to what he expected to
receive and found that he fully counted upon the whole story. He was
even then wondering why Noice had curtailed his story and had not for-
wanded an amplification as requested.

Pickering feels that his association should have first
chance because they have gone to a great deal of trouble in "smoking up"
the story and it hardly seems fair that they should do this and then
have someone else reap the benefit. Of course, if someone else bids
above them they will have no complaint. But in my opinion they can
offer more than anyone else. They represent 70 of the largest newspapers
in the U.S. and Canada and have g greater circulation than any magazine
we could possibly deal with. There will be much more publicity if they
handle the story than could be obtained through any other source.

This need not interfere with your editing the material
for a series of magazine stories afterwards. You will probably get no
more than if the material were entirely fresh - certain not enough to
justify your passing up $5,000. from the Alliance.

Pickering was very frank with me. He said he could not