JOURNALIST'S ARCHIVE OF AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IDENTITY OF B. TRAVEN: Includes photographs of Traven, photographs taken by Traven, and photographs of the spreading of his ashes

circa 1970. A treasure trove of research material gathered by Donald McCormick, a Senior Manager at the Sunday Times in the late sixties and early seventies. McCormick (1911-1998) " ...was attracted to controversial topics on which verifiable evidence was scarce. He wrote on the Hellfire Club, Jack the Ripper, the Cambridge Apostles and rather extensively about spies. He wrote histories of the Russian, Chinese, Japanese, British, and Israeli secret services, and biographies of Sir Maurice Oldfield and Ian Fleming." (Wikipedia). Includes correspondence from Alexandre Rossmann, Sydney Paulden, A. G. K. Leonard, Evelyn Irons, R. B. Pynsent, et al - most being in response to an open appeal for information made by McCormick in a letter to the editor (Times Literary Supplement, March 19, 1970, clipping included). CORRESPONDENCE discusses the identity of Traven, his life, and his work and includes copies of letters, documents, press cuttings, etc., sent as enclosures, and memos and notes from research assistants and foreign correspondents. PHOTOGRAPHS are, for the most part, numbered 1 - 20 with typed labels/captions tipped to back. Includes nine photographs identified as taken by Traven circa 1926 of Carribe Indians; several photographs of Traven (in 1925 and shortly before his death); and several from the occasion of the scattering of his ashes in Mexico. The presentation of the photos would seem to indicate they were intended for use with an article (or book) about Traven but we are unable to find any evidence connecting McCormick to publication of such. It seems evident that Sydney Paulden was the source of the photos as there is an undated 14-page draft for an article on Traven with handwritten cover letter from Paulden reading in part, "Sorry I have not had time to revise this draft of Traven story .... This should give you an idea of the material available, plus [illegible] & captions." We can find no evidence of a published article on Traven by Paulden. From the collection of Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman. From the collection of Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman. Includes 1979 Sotheby's auction catalog for the sale of the above (see lot 282) and list of prices realized that documents the sale.