D96 Thanks to Franco Muela for the gift of a painting.

UMMOAELEWE

Mr Franco Muela

MADRID SPAIN

Date: 12-XI-1970

 

 

Mr Franco Muela:

 

We wish to express to you in some way our gratitude for that gesture of yours in offering us a painting made by you.

 

We can inform you that only three of your Earth brothers have offered us objects belonging to them as gifts. A Yugoslav citizen wished to give us some books from his valuable collection; a brother of yours naturalised in Australia but of British origin offered us a piece of Japanese ceramics, and now you, for some months past, have had the kindness to offer us this invaluable gift.

 

Other brothers of yours also dedicated some books to us (Canada and Spain) and another dedicated an unforgettable poem to us (Spain).

 

We feel ashamed to have to confess to you that we must be faithful to a strict rule concerning the refusal of any conscious acceptance of material gifts, which might one day be misinterpreted by the men of EARTH.

 

Do not forget, however, that your attention has moved us deeply. That persons like you, who cannot know our genuine identity or the purity of our intentions, and who naturally must adopt a certain dose of prudent scepticism, should risk losing their well-earned prestige in making known their wish to give us a gift, must be valued by us in a markedly positive way.

 

Sir: Our most cordial and affectionate greetings to you: Our respectful and deferential array of good wishes for your wife and your little children.