BYRD RICHARD E.: (1888-1957) American Naval Officer, a highly awarded Aviator and Explorer. T.L.S., Byrd, one page ...

BYRD RICHARD E.: (1888-1957) American Naval Officer, a highly awarded Aviator and Explorer. T.L.S., Byrd, one page, 4to, Boston, 29th October 1926, on the Byrd Arctic Expedition printed stationery, to James D. Pond. Byrd explains in detail to his correspondent the expense that has to be paid in relation to a taxi-cab service he will need from home to station, in order to attend a lecture he is offered, and further points out `If the taxi-cab is not a perfectly legitimate and proper charge I do not want to make it. It may be that the Navy League will pay my expenses to Washington for the talk I gave. Of course the Navy itself has no funds to pay for such a talk. If such is the case it would seem that my trip to Bridgeport probably should not be charged to you, or else, I should not charge my expenses from Bridgeport to Washington to the Navy League.´ Byrd concludes with a question `What should I do in this matter?´ A very small area of paper loss and crease to the upper left corner, otherwise VG £150-200 Only few months earlier, Byrd flew over the North Pole. He claimed that his expeditions had been the first to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole by air. However, his claim to have reached the North Pole is disputed. If Byrd did not reach the North Pole, then the first flight over the Pole occurred a few days later, on May 12, 1926, with the flight of the airship ''Norge'' with Amundsen and Nobile.