Letter from James Ivory, New York, New York, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, 1971 November 30 : typescript signed.

Recounting the circumstances of his morning telephone call with Merchant yesterday, and asking why she didn't come on the phone, before they were cut off by "a toad"; scoffing at Merchant's suggestion that Ivory come to India for Christmas [see MA 23840.894]; telling her "today I have been encouraging the young, but also discouraging a few" in his capacity as a Fulbright selection committee member, along with Judith Crist and a man "who is qualified to judge the photographers"; recounting the applicants they encouraged and those they discouraged, including one with a letter of recommendation from Jean Renoir; feeling that so few applicants wanted to make films abroad because aspiring filmmakers in the U.S. are "actually making them here in this country all over the place, on shoestrings"; noting that "Fulbright funds have been cut way back recently, but the quality of the lunch they served us has improved vastly"; going on to describe "still more encouraging of the young"-- "A fellow I know, aged about 23, has made a feature film for $7000 and it is being run at the Thalia up on the west side [...] I am an inspiration he has told me (his name is Lloyd Kaufman) and I hope the film is good and gets good reviews"; recounting a series of encounters with a blind homeless man on the street; noting that "I have much to be thankful for, a very great deal."