1. Correspondence as Director of the Carnegie Observatories

This series follows the organization of the files as they were stored in the Carnegie Observatories' attic. As at the Observatories, the materials are segregated by year. Within each year they are arranged alphabetically (incoming and carbon copies of outgoing correspondence) by named correspondent or subject (annual report, budget, etc.). In some years, correspondents will have their own folder, while in others they have been included in the miscellaneous folders. These individuals' names have been underlined when listed in the miscellaneous folders.

The contents are listed by folder number, folder title, approximate number of items [in brackets], and the names of correspondents [in brackets].

Due to the nature of the position of the director, many letters to others were forwarded to him. In addition, he also received blind copies of correspondence, mainly from MWO or CIW staff. In this organization, the enclosures have been kept with the material with which they were sent. They are noted below in the description of folder contents.

Many of the letters that remain in the "miscellaneous" folders can be categorized as follows: (1) unsolicited requests for employment, (2) "crank" letters by amateurs on new scientific theories, (3) permission to reproduce photographs from the Observatories, and (4) requests for permission to visit the observatories and perhaps obtain a "behind the scenes" tour.