American Fork, Utah

December 26, 1967

Dear Heber:

Your letter of last week has present me with a task which will require some serious thought and considerable time. I am glad you feel that you can ask me any question you wish to with confidence that I will give you an honest answer.

. . .

I am sending you a document prepared by B.H. Roberts, our greatest Mormon historian and a member of the First Council of Seventy. He is author of the Comprehensive History of the Church and of A New Witness for God, which is a discussion of the Book of Mormon. When Brother Roberts/the New Witness, (wrote) he did not know of the existence of a book entitled A View of the Hebrews written by Ethan Smith. I have read this book. There is a copy in the BYU library and Stanley had a copy. The manuscript is self-explanatory.

When Brother Roberts found this book, he said that had he read it before he wrote his New Witness he would have had to change much of that book. He prepared this manuscript pointing out the similarity between the A View of the Hebrews and the Book of Mormon. He wanted to publish this comparison, but the church authorities would not sanction its publication. I have had this copy since the days when I was at BYU, and I found another copy the other day among some papers of Antoine's.