4 November 1954
President Lee A. DuBridge
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena 4, California
Dear Lee:
You may remember that my plan to go to India in January 1954 at the invitation of the Indian Science Congress Association
and the Government of India had to be given up, after I had obtained leave of absence from the Institute for this purpose.
Ava Helen and I propose to go to Stockholm, and to leave Pasadena about 6 December. We have decided that it would be sensible
to make use of the travel this far around the world, by continuing, and I am accordingly planning that we go to India and
Japan, and way countries, for scientific purposes purely, plus the enjoyment of the travel. I plan that we shall be back in
Pasadena late in March. I am accordingly writing to ask you if I could have leave of absence, with pay, during the months
from December to March. I have arranged for my teaching to be taken care of, and for Professor Niemann to serve as acting
chairman of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Professor Sturdivant will, as usual, take the responsibility
for preparing the budget.
I want to take this opportunity also to express to you and to the Trustees of the California Institute of Technology my deep
appreciation of the extraordinarily fine way in which you have conducted the affairs of the Institute. I am convinced that
there is no place in the world that is better suited to the prosecution of scientific work. I am now in my thirty-third
year of activity in the California Institute of Technology, every year a pleasant one for me, and I am looking forward to
similarly pleasant and productive activity for twelve years more, after this one.
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling:W
