September 10, 1962 Dr. H. P. Robirmon, Director Institute of Biological Science6 North Carolina St&e College Raleigh, North Carolina D8ar Cot ton: The ebeck covering my out-of-pocket expenrer for the June trip to Raleigh var received this part week. Your letter of July 20, 6tating that you would find it nececlrary to conrtruct a 8et of expenre figure6 and proce66 it without nry approval if you did not receive from aa within a fev day6 the actual account with the required ticket stub, cro66ed in the mail with my letter to you containing the requerted item. I realize that the wording of this rtatarwat wa6 intention- ally facetious, but it alro vas intended to carry a m886ege, as indicated in the recond paragraph of your letter. The long delay thereafter in caapleting the procerring of the account, together with the otatement in your letter of Septet ber 4 expresring a "hopen that reimbur6e6umt on a farter rchedule in the future could be arranged, ha6 eemd to empharise the degree of aumaly that bae evolved vith regard to financial rupport for my participation in the Latin American pro- ject at the North Carolina Stete College. I va6 much disturbed to learn, during our luncheon converration in June, that the Rockefeller youndation had indicated to you it6 unvillingners to extend fund6 to cover my expensce in the project. I have had time 6ince then to ponder the full clignificance of thi6 attitude of the youndation. It 6eems incredible to am that the Rockefeller ?oundation could launch a project of thir magnitude, requiring the services of a pamon vith my experience and training, that it could requeet these service8 of m6 and accept tb ou a gratuitou6 bali8, and then vould renege on it8 previously exprerred ccemitm6nt to support me to the extent of paying the out-of-pocket expenrres that sty participation in the project would incur. 1 would like to amare you that f fully rccognise the exbarrar-nt this decirion of the Foundation ha8 caured you, and to exprest to you my rincere appreciation of your effort6 to cover the Foundation'6 obligation with funds derived from the College that are earmarked for honoraria. I vould find it difficult to agree to this rolutiou for it vould imply, both on and off the bookr, that I wa8 accepting money for my 6ervice8, 6mager a6 the muntr for theirs might be. Thie vould completely alter my porrition in the project. You should know, also, that I conrider the obligation placed on you to fish for fund8 to pay my expenses to be both undignified and unjurt. Again, sometime in the future, the firh may not bite! We would then be faced with the 6ame problem. Alao, I conrider that it is equally undignified and unjurt for the Foundation to expect me to depend on such firhing excurriona. If the Foundation ir villing to expend many thoueande of dollar6 in bring- ing four Latin Abnerican Fellovr and their familie6 to Raleigh and 6upport them during their 6tay there, but is unvilling to expend any funds to cover the out- of-pocket expense6 that I vould incur in fulfilling my part in this project, then Dr. H. F. Robin6on -29 September 10, 1962 I, in turn, am unvilling to continue giving my time and energie8, gratuitously, to it6 project. The indifferent attitude of the Foundation toward6 my welfare in thi8 project 16 amply de6mnstrated. Regardlees of mitigating factors that may be rerponrible for thir, the re6ult ha6 produced shabby term6 for my participation in the project that are an affront to BW perronally. 1 rhould not be expected to accept them. They have already undermined my enthu8iarrPl for this project to such an extent that repair I6 unlikely. I am sorry indeed, Cotton, that ruch an extraordinary situation has arisen. It is quite unfair to me and thoroughly indefensible. Sincerely yours, ?3McC:af Barbara McClintock