Dear Mr. Taylor Thank you very much for taking the time to write and for sending me your essay on Nelson Dean Jay. It was extremely thoughtful of you. Years ago, when I was beginning work on my first book, I had the mistaken idea in my head that I must not talk about what I was doing because someone might steal my idea. I found out soon enough what foolishness that was – that, in fact, I should tell as many as possible about what I was up to, on the chance that some unexpected someone would have information of a kind I might never come across otherwise. And that has been exactly what has happened time and again with each and every project I’ve undertaken, and your material on Mr. Jay is a perfect example. If, as time goes by, you have more you think I should see, I’ll be very pleased to hear from you. In the meantime, I’d love to know whether there are any Jay papers – letter, diaries, and the like – and if so, are they at Knox College? Many thanks and best wishes, David McCullough