December 4, 1945

Dear Warren:

I enclose a draft of the proposed application by the California Institute of Technology to The Rockefeller Foundation for a grant for support of basic research on the great problem of biology during the coming two decades. This draft was prepared by Beadle, Sturtevant, and me during Beadle’s visit to Pasadena at Thanksgiving time. We are very anxious to have your comments on the proposed program and on the draft of the application.

There is little mention in the draft of work on specific medical problems. We would expect to carry on, incidentally to the fundamental research, work on certain medical problems, whenever a promising lead, which could not easily be followed up elsewhere, appeared; but this sort of medical research would not constitute a major part of the program, according to present plans.

Page (Chairman of the Board of Trustees) and the members of the Executive Committee know about the plans to submit an application for a grant to you. They also know that the program would require the construction of two new buildings, and that about a million dollars, in addition to the funds available in the Kerckhoff Building Fund, would be needed for this purpose. This million dollars is not in our hands, but we think that it could be raised.

I hope that we have made it clear that it is not proposed to transfer existing activities to the new project (except for those special researches which have been carried out under terminating grants), and that the proposed program would involve great cooperation with the present activities of the Institute.

Beadle will not take up residence at the Institute until July, 1946, but he has already made great progress in getting the Division of Biology well in hand, and there exists an extremely fine spirit of cooperation between Biology and Chemistry, as well as Physics, here at the Institute. All of us are highly enthusiastic about the possibility of carrying on a most effective research program, and are confident that striking progress can be made, along the lines indicated in the draft of our application.

I trust that you will give us your candid advice. I am not planning to come East until the end of January, but if you felt that it was necessary to have a discussion with me I could make a trip to New York just before Christmas; or perhaps a telephone conversation would be enough.

With best regards, many thanks, and the sincere hope that you are rapidly improving in health, I am

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling

4 December 1945

Dear ones, big and little

In two hours we dock at Karachi, and here I am without letters written. A sorry state. This past week has passes rapidly because there has been work to do.

We had only a couple of hours in Port Said, but a hilarious time. Paula pulled in to the harbor just after dawn; I was on the bridge, seeing everything, of course ( that's the chief advantage of my job) and noting the local small schooners and dhows. Then we anchored, and immediately the ship was surrounded by a score of small boats with characters in them holding up articles for sale. " Hello fine pocketbook, fine wallet, very fine suit case, twenty-five dollar." After twenty minutes of barganing [sic] and vacillation, ten dollars would go over the side in a basket and a rope and the suitcase would come up. Some fun.

A freighter near us was coaling. On each side were huge open coal barges with gang planks leading up to the deck. On each plank was a line of men, black with dust, ragged, bending under a sac of coal, and singing a dustone chant. And probably suffering from the equivalent of silicosis.

We went ashore and were guided around town the native quarter is out of bounds. Continually we were pestered by leech-like hawkers offering everything from Spanish Fly to blackjacks. A terrific nuisance- one couldn't move. And they wouldn't go away.

I managed to course away from curio shops without being rooked to too great an extent. I'll send my haul home, or bring it if I come.

I had a couple of cups of local coffee. Very rich and heavy, like Ovaltine, and not tasting like coffee. Rather good, though.

Then on through the canal observing the aridity, camels, irrigation canals, and the magnificence of the uniforms of the policemen and soldiers. Red, black, yellow, green.

The wind blew in the Red Sea, but since the Strait of Bab el Mandeb (of fame) the sea has been glassy. Several nights ago I watched for three of four hours the most brilliant and intense electrical storm I ever want to see. Every kind of lighting, between several layers of clouds and the ocean. And it was proceeded by the outstanding sunset of the trip.

No news, yet, of our first destination. If New York the chances are good we'll arrive the 24^th or 25^th. So I hope it's N.Y. But if Seattle, arrival Jan 4^th or 5^th. So keep the tree as long as possible. I'll get home by hack or by crack if we go to the west coast.

So, a very merry Christmas to you all, and an especially happy birthday to the best mamma anyone ever had.

Oly love to everyone,

Linus

P.S. It's N.Y.

The possibility that the ship will be laid up for two or three weeks for conversion is becoming almost a probability. I certainly hope so. At any rate I think we'll be here a week.

Again my love, Mom dear.

Linus