TAA i.2.1.111

{7 February 1924, continued}

I had made a great mistake in forming a contract with the Times

as it had certainly caused a nasty odour with the local press.

I agreed, but reminded him the Min. that it was not altogether

my doing and that I was left with the legacy of the Times Contract

was left me as a legacy which I had to protect, but I assured

the Min. that after April (1924), that contract would be at end & I

undertook it would not occur again. He then said that I was wrong

in going America so early this year - that I was in taking up this

scientific work a public servant. I pointed out to him that we were

not in a/<e>xact agreement in this matter, and I immediately brought up

the question of the opening of the Sarcophagus / - I should add that Tottenham

told the Min. that the sub previous negotiations had been of an

<X>   acrimonious nature and that they better be left alone - the

Min. said let us not bring up the past. / At this moment of the

conversation the Min. said to me that Mons. Lacau was waiting

& could he bring him in? I acquiesced / , where upon Lacau

came in with a dossier in his hand - Tottenham having already

brought a dossier with him. / Lacau immediately referred to past

event<s> and said that I was guilty of taking into the tomb a great

number of visitors - I answered 'let us stick to facts' and Tottenham

I haven't taken in one twentieth of the what number the government

had invited, to which Tottenham remark Tottenham agreed. /

The Min. referred to the question of publicity to which Lacau laughed,

but at this point I r reverted the qu conversation to the question

of opening the Sarcophagus and said to the Min. I hoped H. E. would

be present at the ceremony. / The Min. asked me whether they would

see the "Corps"? I replied that as far as we were able to judge

from previous evidence of the customs of the Royal burials, No, but

probably only the outer coffin containing of a series of coffins containing

the Royal mummy. The Min. was disappointed at this & said

he did not think it worth while coming. / I then proposed that

he should send a delegate and that in the presence of Mons. Lacau,

and other Representatives of the Service, I would, with my collaborators,

open the Sarcophagus, and that if we were satisfied that the

results were sufficiently interesting we would advise H. E. to come

and view it. / To this the Min. was in agreement. / I also requested

that the press should not be allowed to see the tomb again on

Monday 11^th / , as they would see nothing more than on the past press

view (Thursday 7^th) / but that I proposed opening the tomb to them on

Wednesday 13^th to see results of our opening the Sarcophagus on

Tuesday 12^th. / , I also asked for three or four days from the 14^th

for taking records, when no visitors would [be] allowed to enter the Tomb

and that then after the Ministers, if they so wished, had view[ed] the

Tomb, we should opening^sic it for a period of say about ten days

to the public - or rather authorised visitors holding permits from

the Ministry. The Minister was in agreement to this and

asked Lacau, Tottenham and myself to take over the

arrangements, sign them, & present them to him. / To this

we agr (Lacau Tottenham & self) agreed to do at Lacau['s]

house the following morning (8^th) at 11 am. This ended the interview.

(I should remark here that though the whole negociatations^sic{negotiations} appeared

to [be] quite amicable I felt inwardly that there was an atmosphere

of hostility;) there was certainly an element of dictation in the interview.)

When leaving the Ministers office, just outside the door, Lacau

attacked me in/<wi>th regard to Gardiner's conversation with him - A/<I> answered

that I knew nothing about it & refused/<appealed> to Tottenham against

any attacks of this kind.