Dayton, April 20, 1905
Your letters of 14th & 16th inst. have been received. Mr. Montgomery is quite right in saying that he has dared what no one else ventured to try; and if thereby he shall succeed in obtaining information or skill not attainable by safer methods he is certainly entitled to great credit. I suspect that he is giving too little attention to drift, and that when he comes to figure the cost he will have to adopt different methods. However, this is only a surmise based on the fact that none of the reports mentioned the rate of descent (which would give a rough indication of the drift). It is to be regretted that he has mixed his name up with that of Baldwin. I fear he will lose both money and reputation by the lawsuit.
Mr. Archdeacon will find more compliments than information in our answer to his letter, as we are more ready to congratulate him upon the interest in aviation he has succeeded in arousing in France, than to show our machines and methods at this time. However, we give some encouragement that we may go after the Deutsch Archdeacon prize when our other arrangements will permit. We ourselves do not know when or where we will resume flying experiments.
I return the French clippings, &c., with our thanks.1 They have given us much amusement.
1 The "French clippings, &c." have not been found.