Correspondence from Aline Bernstein to Jose A. Pena, postmarked May 25, 1950. Composed on her personal letterhead, the text of this handwritten, two-page note by Bernstein acknowledges an apparently unsolicited "packet of writing" she received from Pena while he was pursuing a masters degree in English literature at Columbia University in New York. Citing demands imposed by projects of her own among the reasons she was opting to leave Pena's package unopened, Bernstein adds that, though "flattered" by the author's regard for her opinion of his work, she considers herself "no critic" and "not able to judge." She suggests that Pena "stop by" to retrieve his writing and "kindly return" two books that she had lent him.

Also included in the file is a related, single-page, typewritten correspondence, dated July 22, 1966, from Jose A. Pena to Janet Hobbie of the Guggenheim Library at Monmouth College in New Jersey. Composed on letterhead issued by International Flavors & Fragrances (U.S.), this typescript addresses the provenance of Bernstein's 1950 note to Pena and affirms Pena's intention to offer that document as a donation to the Guggenheim Library.

One additional item found in the file is an empty personal envelope (absent return identification), postmarked London W.I. October 8, 1948, addressed to Pena in Wake Forest, North Carolina.