Letter from Schaeffer to the British Consul requesting visas for himself and his teamClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

Handwritten: Al Acta

4 Juin 46.

Dear Consul,

I am in charge of an archaeological expedition to Cyprus an possess a regular and official license to excavate at Enkomi near Famagousta issued by the Office of the Director of Antiquities in Nicosia on August 9th 1945, and valid for two years.

Being on the point of leaving for the island of Cyprus via Beyrouth, I discover that I need for myself and my two assistants (1) a visa to Cyprus in order to be given a transit visa by the Lebanon Consulat in Paris. On former journeys to Cyprus, the last one during the war in march 1944, I applied for the Cyprus visa at the British Consulat General in Beyrouth (see my passport p.16). But this is now no longer possible owing to the necessity to get the Lebanon transit visa first.

My boat (André Lebon) is leaving Marseille on June 12th and I have to leave Paris on Monday 10th. Moreover, I have to apply to the Lebanon Consulat for a visa on Friday next, June 7th at the latest, after my demarche with you.

I would therefore, be much obliged to you for granting me and my two assistants a Visa for Cyprus at the earliest possible moment.

Iaam,

Yours truly,

Commander Claude F. A. SCHAEFFER Capitaine de Corvette under de Gaulle from 1940 to 1945. Director of the French Cyprus Expedition Curator of the French National Museums Director af the French National Research C Former Fellow of St.John's College, Oxford. M.A. Dr. Litt; l.c. Oxford Honorary F.S.A. Honorary Fellow of the Royal Anthropologic Institute of Great Britain, and of several other British scientific bo

References in Great Britain:

Sir John Forsdyke, Director of the British Museum. Sir Richard Livingstone, Vice Chancellor o the Oxford University. Sir Cyril Norwood, President of St.John's College, Oxford. Sir Frederic Kenyon, Secretary of the