Interesting Letter on the Subject of Measures of Mitzvot - By Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky - The Steipler

Letter handwritten and signed by R. Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky. Bnei Brak, 1955.
Sent to the Darmstadt Gaon R. Yonah Merzbach, who conducted a comprehensive study of the laws of halachic measures and previously corresponded with the Steipler on this topic. The Steipler opens the letter with his plan to publish a newly arranged composition on this subject, and requests permission to include in his book a letter on the topic sent to him by R. Merzbach in Tammuz 1949.
The Steipler also requests the assistance of R. Merzbach in attaining data of scientific measures related to the topic of halachic measures: measures of distances, "Italian measures" in our times and measures of burial holes revealed in archeological excavations. The Steipler writes that he attempted to inquire about this subject at the archeological department of the university, however they refrained from responding: "Perhaps, you know the average length of the existing burial holes from two thousand or one thousand five hundred years ago, which would shed light on the measure of a cubit according to the words of our Sages that these burial holes were 4 cubits long. I tried writing to the archeological department of the university but received no response. Perhaps, you can inquire about this by phone or in a letter…".
[1] leaf, official stationery. 23.5 cm. 24 lines. Good condition. Few stains and creases.
This letter was printed in a censored form in the book Karyana D'Igarta, Part 1, Letter 342, and in the new edition, Part 2, Letter 404, with the omission of the section referring to the letter written to the university's archeological department. In the book Ale Yonah (Jerusalem-Bnei Brak, 1989, p. 134) the entire letter is printed.