The Yeti has captured the imaginations of conspiracy theorists, explorers and—according to the latest post by the National Archives—the American Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal.

In 1959, a U.S. government memo issued by the embassy outlined the guidelines for “expeditions searching for the YETI in Nepal.”

The memo, called “Regulations Governing Mountain Climbing Expeditions in Nepal — Relating to Yeti,” highlighted what hunters could or could not do if they faced the fabled monster.

According to the document, the permit fee to hold a Yeti-hunting expedition costs $77 and the hunters were allowed to catch or take photos of the creature.

“All photographs taken of the animal, the creature itself if captured alive or dead, must be surrendered to the Government of Nepal at the earliest time,” stated the memo.

The only time the Yeti could be shot and killed was in self-defense.

The guidelines also state that any report on the Yeti being real had to be turned over to the Nepalese government. The news of its existence “must not in any way be given out to the Press or Reporters for publicity.”

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Contact us at letters@time.com.