Archives Commission to Decide on Historical Travis Letter

A commission meeting scheduled at 9 a.m. will discuss the issue

The State Library and Archives Commission will soon decide whether to loan the "Victory or Death" letter penned by Col. William Barret Travis to the Alamo.

The commission is meeting Wednesday to reconsider a request by the General Land Office to display the letter at the plane where Travis wrote the letter, one of the most famous in Texas history. The commission already voted the proposal down once. 

Archivists have been keeping the letter in dark storage, fearful that exposure to light will further damage the fading document. But the General Land Office, which now manages the Alamo, calls the letter a treasure the public should have a chance to see.

Travis wrote the letter while commanding the Alamo, calling for reinforcements as Mexican forces prepared to storm the church.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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