NABOKOV, VLADIMIR. 1899-1977.
Typed Letter Signed (in Cyrillic "V. Nabokov"), 1 p, 4to, in Russian, Ithaca, New York, January 14, 1949, on Cornell University letterhead, to Sergey Osipovich Yacobson, Slavic Department "Librarion" at the Library of Congress.
The great modern novelist, then in the Department of Russian Literature, Cornell University, sends Sergey Osipovich Yakobson, brother of linguist Roman Jakobson and head of the Slavic department in the Library of Congress, a letter of recommendation for his sister-in-law, Sonia Slonim. Translated in part: "I just found out from my belle-soeur S.E Slonim that she would love to take one of the Library of Congress' available positions. The position is what in most ministries is called a "research analytical specialist" and at your Library of Congress simply "research analyst." From her letter I see that she has already applied and was considered a suitable candidate, but she is still a candidate, as she was called to come back on 18th of this month.
I would be very obliged to you if you could help her to get this position. Of course I would not ask you about it, if I was not sure that she could do this job well...."
In 1941, when Sonia Slonim applied to the US Army Security Agency as a cryptographer, the FBI investigated the rumor that she was a German spy. Nothing was ever proven against her.
