Mr. Forrest Gerard, Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior, received a letter from Senator Dewey F. Bartlett regarding Mr. and Mrs. Burris's request for access to the rolls of the Cherokee Nation to determine their degree of Indian blood. The Burris's claim to be of Cherokee descent and have been unsuccessful in obtaining assistance from the Bureau in researching their ancestors. Senator Bartlett enclosed information provided by the Burris's and requested cooperation and assistance from the Department of the Interior in this matter.