February 23, 1954 Frederick Johnson Robert S. Peabody Foundation for Archaeology Cambridge, Massachusetts Dear Professor Johnson: I have read the Chapter, “The Significance of the Dates for Archaeology and Geology” written by you and included in Libby’s Radiocarbon Dating. I would like to inquire: Whether any objects dating from the New Kingdom in Egypt (Dynasties 18, 19 and 20) were tested by the radio-carbon method? If so, did not the method indicate a discrepancy with the accepted chronology and a need of a radical reduction of age for this period in history? The data published by Libby concerning Egypt have not even one case of New Kingdom. You, however, refer to “puzzling exceptions” and cases “when a valid radiocarbon date disagrees radically with an archaeological date.” Are objects from Egypt or from the Middle or Near East in this category? A second question: Did it occur that the method revealed a late date (say, 3500 years ago) for the survival of animals like mastodon or mammoth? I would appreciate it very much if you could give me the required information.   Very sincerely,   Immanuel Velikovsky