Welcome to the last newsletter for the year 2003. This abbreviated newsletter is being brought to you by our e-mail distribution service called Constant Contact. In a time when all of us are being bombarded by unwanted junk mail, we need to take extra precautions to insure that only those interested in the history of the Manhattan Project receive this newsletter. If you have received this newsletter in error and are not interested in preserving the history of America's atomic bomb effort during World War II, please "click" on UNSUBSCRIBE at the bottom of this newsletter and that will permanently remove you from further distributions. For those of you who wish to continue to receive this newsletter throughout the next year, please "click" on Edit Your Interests at the bottom of this newsletter and review the information there. You may update the information as you see fit. IMPORTANT NOTE: WE HAVE DISCOVERED THAT AROUND 150 OF OUR SUBSCRIBERS HAVE NOT BEEN RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTER DUE TO ANTI-SPAM FILTERS. THIS IS AN ON-GOING PROBLEM FOR LEGITIMATE NEWSLETTERS BECAUSE MANY INTERNET PROVIDERS, IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT SPAM, FILTER OUT A LOT OF E-MAIL THAT IT 'CONSIDERS' TO BE SPAM. FOR INSTANCE, NO ONE USING TIME WARNER'S ROAD-RUNNER CAN RECEIVE THIS NEWSLETTER. WE ARE NOW EXPLORING OTHER ALTERNATIVES.

One way is the establishment of a monthly essay contest. This contest will be open to students in three target groups: Middle School (grades 7 to 9); High School (grades (10 to 12); and College.

It is our intention to solicit the submission of essays and reports based on the Manhattan Project from students in these target groups. Our plan is to offer some type of monetary (or other?) award as well as publish the monthly winners on our web site.

We would like to request that you consider becoming a member of a panel that would evaluate these monthly essays. Please contact us if you are interested.

Also, there are continuous historical projects underway at schools throughout the United States. The Manhattan Project is a popular topic for students. We get many requests for permission to "interview" a Manhattan Project veteran (civilian or military) as part of their project. We take steps to insure that it is a legitimate school project. We desperately need to hear from veterans who agree to participate in these very important school projects. These phone 'interviews' are typically short (5 to 10 minutes). Please contact us if you are willing to participate.

The 2004 Manhattan Project 60th Anniversary Calendar has been a big hit. We have mailed out well over 100 of them thus far. The Otowi Bookstore at the Bradbury Museum in Los Alamos has ordered 20+ so our Los Alamos members and visitors may want to look there. The price of the calendar is $19.95 directly from us. Members can purchase one at a $3.00 savings for $16.95.

We have returned two items to our catalog in the last week which will be big sellers. One is a 21-minute VHS video of the preparation and loading of the two atomic bombs on Tinian Island. This video, narrated by Fred Olivi, co- pilot of 'Bockscar", has excellent footage of both the Enola Gay and Bockscar. Also, we have added an excellent document collection that we call the "Einstein/FDR Collection". This is a 20-page collection of documents that includes Einstein's initial letter to FDR as well as the replies. See our store for a full description of all of the documents included. We have a PDF file that we can send via e-mail for $10.95...or, we can print them and mail them to you for $17.95 plus S&H.

Shirts, Shirts, and More Shirts - We have a wide selection of custom T-Shirts and Sweat Shirts. Many of these have photos of the Enola Gay and Bockscar. For those interested in Oak Ridge, we have several that have the photos of the Y-12, K-25, and X-10 plants along with captions of your choice. For those interested in Los Alamos, we have shirts with photo collages of S-Site, of the Tech Area, and many more. Please check out the on-line catalog for all of the variations available. If orders are placed by December 15th, we will guarantee shipment prior to Christmas.

On-Line Catalog

The answer depends on whether or not we can generate enough financial support for the project. Our initial idea would be to include several hi-resolution photos of the 509th from our extensive collection. (We have the largest collection of 509th photos and documents on the Internet). We would provide all of the key dates for the 509th from its inception in late 1944 though its return to the U.S. in 1945.

The quality would be the same as our 2004 Manhattan Project 60th Anniversary Calendar in that it would be printed on heavy-weight 44# glossy photo paper and spiral bound.

Included with the calendar are 2 pages where we show various dedications from those willing to sponsor the calendar. For examble they may say "compliments of" or "in memory of" or any other text message. These sponsor spaces are $100 (2" x 4" space) and $50 (2" x 2" space).

If we can get enough sponsors, we can have a beautiful calendar ready to print in less than a week. Please let us know if you would be willing to sponsor a terrific 509th calendar...or if you would be willing to purchase one if they were available.

509th Collection

In November, we passed the half-million mark for visitors to our web site since its creation. However, this statistic is misleading because of the steep growth pattern. Following is the number of visitors per year: 12 months ended 2000 - 3,002; 2001 - 38,864; 2002 - 193,768; and 11 months ended 11/03 - 284,396. Similarly, page views on the web site have been as follows: 2000 - 9,283; 2001 - 196,175; 2002 - 938,137; and 11 months ended 11/03 - 1,298,801. It is estimated that approximately 55% of the web site traffic represents K-12 students.

This past year has been a struggle to keep everything afloat. 2004 will be a watershed year because if we do not receive any type of funding through government or foundation grants, we will not be able to keep going. Membership fees, donations, and catalog sales pay for about 75% of the cost of maintaining the web site alone. Jim Schoke, a former member of the SED at the Met Lab, has graciously agreed to match all contributions of $50 or more, up to a total of $1,000, for all donations made prior to 12/31/03. Keep in mind that all donations to our organization are tax-deductible.

We will be applying for a few government grants early in 2004 which, if successful, will provide some type of funding by the 3rd quarter. If anyone knows of a potential grant that might be appropriate for our organization, please let us know as soon as possible.

New memberships are as important to us while applying for grants as they are in providing short-term financial support. If you have been sitting on the side-lines, we would like to encourage you to send in your membership application today. Also, as always, we are looking for more content to exhibit on the web site. If you have photos or documents that you would be willing to share, please contact us.

Again, thank you for your interest in preserving the history of the Manhattan Project. We hope that all of you have a very happy holiday season and that each of you has a very prosperous and safe New Year!

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