TCG Letter #170 / Carpenter Letter #81

Tolkien expresses joy at receiving an airgraph before Christopher's departure to Standerton. He discusses the progress of the chapters and promises to send the next batch soon. He provides updates on the increasing lights in Oxford and a recent gathering with the Inklings. The letter touches on the challenging atmosphere of the war, criticizing biased reporting and the dehumanization of the German nation in some media. He expresses a longing for the war to end and the desire to embark on a perambulation in mountainous country with Christopher once reunited.

Hammond & Scull remark that Tolkien's letter, in reply to "Christopher, who has read and approved of ‘The Taming of Sméagol’, ‘The Passage of the Marshes’, and ‘The Black Gate Is Closed’.^{Chronology, p. 296.[1]}