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Robert Woods Bliss to Royall Tyler, May 1, 1939 [2]

May 1: 1939

Dear Royall,

Your letter from Geneva of April 20th arrived the day before yesterday. It had been preceded a few days previously by your long letter of the 15th written from Hyères. Needless to say, both were welcome.

Mildred and I are off in a few minutes for New York, Boston and then back to New York, returning here on Friday, but we remain only three days when we have to dash back to New York for another four days. It peeves us to have to leave the garden now, which is exciting each day as Spring manifests itself in all its charm. Functions for Danish and Norwegian royalty are responsible for this week’s journey and the one next week is caused by the opening of the new museum of the Museum of Modern Art,The Museum of Modern Art, New York, opened on May 10, 1939. of which Mildred is one of the trustees. In the midst of all these goings-on I have a couple of Board meetings! And the following week is the three-day Annual Convention of the American Federation of Arts.The American Federation of Arts, a nonprofit organization that sponsors art exhibitions, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops education programs. It was founded in 1909. Robert Woods Bliss was president of the American Federation of Arts between 1938 and 1941 and honorary president thereafter. After that we hope for a little respite!

We are thrilled at the prospect of your visit in June and shall expect you at Dumbarton Oaks as soon as you can get here after leaving the steamer. We are delighted to know that you see such good prospects for the publication of your three volumes,L’art byzantin. Neither the three-volume edition nor the third volume were published. and also that you are going to publish them in three different languages. As you say, ojalá!“Let’s hope!”

By all means sound out the possibilities of H. de G.Octave Marie Hubert de Ganay (1888–1974), Marquis de Ganay, a French corporate director and president of the Chamber of Agriculture of Cher and nephew of Martine, Comtesse de Béarn. wanting to dispose of some of his aunt’sMartine-Marie-Pol de Béhague, comtesse de Béarn (1869–1939), a French art patron and collector. objectsSee letter of April 20, 1939. and see what the prospects are of securing the ones you specifically mention. As to prices, that is a matter for future discussion. It would be helpful, of course, if we could have photographs of those which are not already published. I have not time to comment on Hitler’sAdolf Hitler (1889–1945), a German politician and the leader of the Nazi Party. He was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and dictator of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. speechProbably Hitler’s address to the Reichtag on April 28, 1939, where he responded to President Roosevelt’s telegram that listed a number of countries for which he sought reassurances that there would be no hostile actions by Germany. and will not be able even to sign this.

Much love from us both,

R.W.B.

Royall Tyler, Esquire

League of Nations

Geneva