The Idea
In the Summer of 1930, Wilkins and his wife Suzanne took a belated honeymoon trip to Switzerland, where they stayed at the luxurious castle Schloss Lenzburg, owned by wealthy friend and colleague Lincoln Ellsworth. It was during this 6 week vacation that Wilkins and Ellsworth finalized the plans for what would become the Wilkins-Ellsworth Trans-Arctic Expedition. Ellsworth was the chief financier of the expedition, contributing $70,000 plus providing another $20,000 as a “loan.” Hearst Enterprises paid $61,000 for exclusive rights to the story of the expedition for publication in the New York American. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute contributed $35,000. As a publicity and fund-raising idea, Wilkins published Under the North Pole: The Wilkins-Ellsworth Submarine Expedition before the expedition actually took place . This item raised $3,200. Finally, Wilkins himself donated $22,000 of his own money to the expedition, representing lecture fees and personal savings.
Memorandum of Agreement with Hearst Enterprises. Wilkins 15-17.
A Letter from Ellsworth to Wilkins. On pages 2-3, note that Ellsworth advises Wilkins that he is not requiring him to pay back the $20,000 loan. Wilkins 15-5.
