Fax from Martin Schøyen to Bruce Ferrini transcribed by Årstein Justnes

Dear Bruce,                                                                                                               24.7.01

To-day arrived both your parcel with the 3 Indian items and the reports on the Indus fragments.

I am very pleased with all 3 items, but particularly the Navajo Shaman pictographic notebook for Shamanistic rituals. It is really interesting with lots of pictographs and symbols in it. I ought to be thoroughly studied and published. Would you know anybody who can and would be interested in doing it, possibly together with the other ledgers as well?

Following this pi[?] come the reports:

1. Oxford Authentication: stone flake with Indus script: Less than 200 years ago
2. RCD, Oxford: Plied birchbark book, unidentified script: 1950’ies or 1980’ies (= age of the birch-bark)
3. RCD: Larger birch bark book: late 1960’ies (age of birch-bark) Indus script

I am extremely disappointed [sic] of this of course, with all the exciting materials acquired, but it is the old lesson: When things are too good to be true, that is exactly what it is: not true! But in this case I could not take the chance, not to acquire it. All materials have same origin, a cave high up in the border area between Afghanistan, China and Pakistan. My primary source said he was in the cave with the diggers (same cave where they found the stone box with the fragments) when they uncovered a plastered hole in the wall, where 4 birchbark books and 3 small plied books sat! So, it would not be a good idea to include your fragments in your coming ancient writing catalogue. Would you send me a proof set of it?

 I will transfer $ 25.000 for the shaman book tomorrow. The bull-man ledger $ 41.500 is also due. Shall I deduct the $ 37.500 I paid but lost[?] for the Indus fragments, as I transfer $ 25.000 + 4.000 = $ 29.000 ?

All the best,
Martin.

Note: The fax is available at https://www.nrk.no/dokumentar/kilde-knyttet-til-plyndrere-1.906754.