Aug. 21, 1953

Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky
4 Hartley Avenue
Princeton, N. J.

Dear Mr. Dyen:

Taking leave from my desk with my work I dedicate this morning to the accumulated correspondence, and one of the first letters I go to answer yours.

In order to prepare a paper on the problem of “Ahab or Jehoram?” it seems to me that you have to leave out the entire first part of your manuscript, and rewrite the second part. First you have to give the arguments which brought me to the radical change in el-Amarna chronology (in broad lines); then the arguments which I used for selecting Ahab as the author of the letters and then your arguments for a different understanding of the situation and the authorship, and thus also a definite—though in one or two decades only—change in chronology.

All this you may have do without an assurance from an editor of having the paper published: first it must be suitably written; then, possibly, Prof. Pfeiffer, who for years was editor of the Journal of Biblical Studies, (I believe this is the name of the periodical), may be helpful. I shall be glad, too, to see the finished paper, if you would care to show it to me. You must also realize that my reconstruction until now is accepted by some scholars, but is not accepted by some influential men, like Albright. Of the Egyptologists, one of the most prominent scholars, Prof. Drioton, was very favorable; so also some of the Jesuite professors of Biblical archaeology. My second volume of Ages is postponed with publication, acc. to my request, until a volume on pre-history will be finished and published (by Doubleday). This information may be of use to you for your project. I wish you success.

Sincerely yours,

Im. Velikovsky