65 years ago today - ca. Apr 15, 1955

[First Presidency to Disney Studios]
Dear Mr. __________: With some awareness of what we are asking, we are, nevertheless, persuaded to write to you as pertaining to the possibility of your permitting us to purchase some three minutes of footage from Fantasia: specifically that part from the third reel which has to do with ^portrays^ the emergence of a nebula out of the darkness of unorganized matter to the appearance of the round earth in the firmament. This footage, if the favor were granted, would be reduced to 16 millimeter film and would be accompanied by a brief citation of some scripture and other spoken lines descriptive of how the Lord God brought the earth into being. ... To begin with, our contemplated use would be without music, and would therefore, without any of ^avoid^ the "Ascap" or Tetrille ^A[merican] F[ederation] of L[abor],^ complications. Our use would further be for a strictly limited group of our own Church members only, for instructional purposes, and the footage would never be shown publicly. All copyright and other protective assurances that we could give you as concerning our respect for your granting this permission would be observed. Again we say, we think we know something of the magnitude of the favor we are asking, but were much impressed by this sequence, and have never seen anything of the kind done so well, and we know of no possible ^feasible^ way of duplicating it or approaching it ourselves. Time is a pressing element with us in this hoped for use, and if you look upon this request with favor, we should be most pleased to send you one of our appointed representatives to meet with you at your convenience to arrange such documentary assurances and considerations as the circumstances suggest. Thank you for your consideration of this request. * P.S. Some years ago you graciously accommodated us with permission to use a minute or two of footage from ["]the Grasshop[p]er and the Ant["] for a Church Welfare film, which we were making at the time. We have not forgotten the magnitude of that favor and are grateful for it.

[LDS First Presidency to Disney Studios, undated draft, ca. Apr. 15, 1955 , typed excerpt in Buerger Papers as quoted in Anderson, Devery; The Development of LDS Temple Worship, 1846-2000: A Documentary History, http://amzn.to/TempleWorship]