December 2014 Auction Ends Tuesday, December 16th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2014
Letter regarding the excavation of King Tut's tomb, from P.M. Tottenham as Under Secretary of State, headed, ''Tutankhamen's Tomb''. Addressed to ''The Controller / Press Bureau'', letter dated 21 November 1923 contains instructions for bringing news of the excavation to press, making sure Egyptian news sources are the first to release information which is consistent with Egypt's notoriously possessive stance on its archaeological digs in this era. Letter reads in full, ''Sir, I have the honour to inform you that it is intended, during the current digging season, to issue daily bulletins regarding the progress of operations at Tutankhamen's Tomb. These will be telegraphed by the Chief Inspector of the Antiquities Department at Luxor at 7:30 a.m. and so should reach your Office at about 8:30 a.m. I trust that adequate arrangements may be made by your Office for reception and prompt circulation to the Press of these bulletins, for this Ministry wishes to spare the Egyptian Press from the undesirable task of obtaining the quickest information about the work in question, from foreign sources. By the means proposed, news communicated by the diggers at Tutankhamen's Tomb to the London Press will appear in Cairo on the same day. [signed] PM Tottenham''. Single-page letter bears a stamp of Tottenham's name and two stamps of, ''Office Copy''. Measures 8.25'' x 13''. Scattered hand notations, toning and creasing. Very good.
Typed Letter Signed From the Egyptian Government Ensuring That Any Breaking News on King Tut's Tomb Comes Straight From the Egyptian Press
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