Item 2 - Letter to Beaton

Typewritten letter, in which Weissberger recounts his difficult negotiations with Irene Selznick and his progress in formalising an agreement by which Beaton is employed to design the costumes for "Portrait of a Lady". Irene Selznick has expressed her unease that Beaton would not be in America to work on the play from the beginning, but would only come out from London at a later date. Also, Weissberger is concerned that Irene is under the false impression that Beaton would merely decorate sets already designed by someone else; Weissberger writes that this is absurd, that it is Beaton's designs, rather than their execution, which are primarily appreciated by an audience. He provides details of his discussions with Lyn Austin and Tom Noyes [the producers of 'Portrait of a Lady'] and states that he is now waiting for the terms of an agreement for Beaton to work on the costumes for the production. Weissberger confirms that it is possible for Beaton to manage both projects in a round-trip scheduled for October / November of that year.