Washington and CPRI Fall in Behind the ACCG's Proposed "H-Triple-C"

Those petitioning foreigners need sorting
out and showing who is boss"

Just when you thought it could not get any worse, distinguished Washington socialite, the exulted perpetual diplomat Arthur Houghton III, President of the American Cultural Property Research Institute  graciously deigns to thank Peter Tompa for his "service" proposing a Historic (sic) Coin Circulation Commission. He proudly reports that he has already spent the morning asking around about the proposal, and learns that it is considered in the exulted circles in which he moves "not only appropriate, but could go far toward dispelling some of the mythology" allegedly being generated about ancient coin circulation by numismatists of the source countries applying for US assistance in accordance with Art 9 if the 1970 UNESCO Convention. These petitioning foreigners need sorting out and showing who is boss.

His Excellency proposes working with Bailey and Ehrenberg's lawyer  to produce a charter to form the basis for the operation of the proposed Historic (sic) Coin Circulation Commission which "would allow broad latitude, provide credibility, and bring in behind it large numbers of well-connected people who could add emphasis and financial support". In effect, they would become the paymasters of the Commission, which would most certainly then be as unbiased as any in Washington financed by Big Business.

The Noble and Gracious Mr Houghton furthermore recommends that "the H-Triple-C issue regular reports" setting out the judgement of this totally unbiased numismatic body concerning the ancient circulation of coins in specific countries and refuting the arguments of those, in the US and beyond, who would support the citizens of foreign lands the cultural heritage is being pillaged and smuggled onto the US market.

The reader can, I am sure, make up their own mind and the merits of this particular esteemed coin collector's contribution to the debate.