Kieta, Bougainville Island, 158 Mandated Territory of New Guinea, December 21st. 1927 Dear Doctor Sanford: As we have been fortunate in striking a most unusual mail connection with Sydney I have decided to write to you today to give some further idea of how affairs are progressing on the "France". As it is the Christmas season I hes- itiate to be pessimistic where there is any chance of not being so and hope that you will regard this communication as a conservative one. Hannibal and I have been on board very close to three months and our estimate of the situa- tion on her is, naturally, somewhat more valuable. In the first place I am inclined to refute all I said about Beck's politeness in the first letter. This is a small matter if it did not bear con- siderably on the past history of this extraordinary ves- sel. I am quite certain that all the explosions of Quaile, Correia, the officials in the French Islands, and even some of the minor eruptions in New Zealand are due to Beck's impossible personality. Contrary to the impressions of the people at the Museum there is nothing picturesque, or amusing, or incredible, or whimsical about this personality. It has not got, what most every- body who has met and talked with Beck for a short time thinks it has got, even any courage. I have watched Beck like a cat ever since I have got on the ship. The other day I told him exactly what I thought of him. It was at this time that I discovered the last thing about him, his