Letter from Linus Pauling to Detlev Bronk. October 22, 1951. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 2 pp.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• Bill from Athenaeum to LP for $10.44. Handwritten note: “Pd.” [Filed under LP Biographical: Business and Financial: (Assorted Bills, Receipts and Invoices, 1951-1962.), Box #4.060, Folder #60.1]
• Bill from Herbert A. Whipple, D.D.S. to LP for $36.00. Handwritten note: “Pd.” [Filed under LP Biographical: Business and Financial: (Assorted Bills, Receipts and Invoices, 1951-1962.), Box #4.060, Folder #60.1]
• Letter from H. J. Morowitz, Temperature Measurements Section, National Bureau of Standards, U.S. Department of Commerce, to LP, RE: Asks for LP’s comments on thermochemical properties and thermodynamic properties of peptides because he is trying to critically examine the possibilities of a calorimetric program. [Letter from LP to Morowitz, November 1, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1951), #256.2]
• Letter from H. J. Poole, British Joint Services Mission, to LP, RE: Says that the members of the delegation from the United Kingdom would like to speak with the faculty regarding the relationship between chemical education and defense science when they are in Pasadena on Friday, November 2nd. [Letter from LP to Poole, October 30, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (P: Correspondence, 1951), #312.16]
• Letter from Henry M. Woodburn, Head of the Department of Chemistry, University of Buffalo, to LP, RE: Asks for LP’s opinion regarding Sam Naiditch. [Letter from LP to Woodburn, November 2, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (N: Correspondence, 1951), #287.18]
• Letter from LP to Byron Riegel, Director of Chemical Research, G. D. Searle and Co., RE: Says that he will be in Spain in December and will not be able to meet with him, but will make arrangements for other men to be available. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (R: Correspondence, 1951), #340.16]
• Letter from LP to Dennis Flanagan, Editor, Scientific American, RE: States that they cannot write the article yet because it is still too early to publish an article about the new protein work and he will be taking a trip around the world in December and January. Says that it will be some time until he is able to write this paper. [Letter from Flanagan to LP, October 17, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Scientific American), #374.9]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Holland Roberts, President, American Russian Institute. [Letter from Roberts to LP, October 16, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Roberts, Holland), #330.5]

  October 25, 1951

  Dr. Holland Roberts, President American

  Russian Institute 101 Post Street

  San Francisco 8, California

  Dear Dr. Roberts:

  Thank you for your letter of October 16, in which you mention the celebration of American Soviet Friendship Week in the San Francisco Bay Area, early in November.

  I hope very much that a permanent time of international good feeling and of peace can be instituted, and that the world will soon have passed through the present troubled period.

  I have felt deep concern about the state of the world, and especially in respect to science, during recent months. It seems to me that the field of science should be truly international, and that there should be no restrictions on the dissemination of knowledge and on the movement of scientists. Also, it is clear that science must be allowed to develop without artificial restrictions or governmental interference - there is no other way in which the truth can be discovered.

  The World Chemical Conclave was held in New York last month. I know that Russia was invited to send representatives - but none came. I attended the previous International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry, in London, in 1947. Three Russians appeared there, at the last moment, and without warning - there had been no statement about their attendance sent in ahead of time, to permit the titles of their papers to appear in the program. These Russian chemists presented their papers, but they did not talk with the other chemists attending the meeting, so far as I am aware. I wish that more scientific intercourse could take place.

  Also, I have been deeply concerned about the attack that has been made upon my own work. I told you about the published report to the Academy of Sciences, by a committee of eight chemists, in which my work and the theory of resonance are severely criticized, and it is essentially forbidden to Russian chemists to make use of the theory. I have since learned that this attack has been going on since 1949 - it began with a virulent article in the Journal of Philosophy. Several other papers along the same line have since appeared.

  I have not been able to gain any understanding whatever of the meaning or cause for such an attack. I would be grateful to you for your ideas, and any information you can give me.

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling:W

• Letter from LP to Edward C. Fuller, Department of Chemistry, Champlain College, RE: Answers his questions about the preparation of chemistry teachers at Caltech. [Letter from Fuller to LP, October 15, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (D: Correspondence, 1951), #98.16]
• Letter from LP to K. N. Rudall saying that he and Corey were able to interpret the x-ray photograph they received and requesting more photographs of the same sample be taken using cylindrical film at various angles. [follow up to LP June 11, 1951, Rudall June 22, 1951, LP July 5, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (R: Correspondence, 1951), #344.16]
• Letter from LP to Kurt Mislow, Department of Chemistry, New York University, RE: Says that he will ask Dr. Bengelsdorf to give him information about the Russian controversy and that he doubts he can send copies of the translated files because their supply is exhausted. Thanks Mislow for the Stalin quotation. [Note from Mislow to LP, October 17, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Mislow, Kurt), #248.4]
• Letter from LP to W. Albert Noyes, Jr., Editor, Journal of the American Chemical Society, RE: Thanks Noyes for the letter about the publication of data in x-ray diffraction and electron diffraction papers. States that the best option might be to publish the papers in another journal and that he does not want to burden Noyes with complaints. [Letters from Noyes to LP, October 16, 1951 and November 2, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Journal of the American Chemical Society), #191.1]
• Letter from LP to Willam W. Winship, The Chemist’s Club, RE: Replies that he does not have any information on the use of vitreosil or quartz glass for the construction of molds for casting metals. [Letter from Winship to LP, October 8, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (W: Correspondence, 1951), #443.19]
• Note from Albert Soldate to LP, RE: Says that he has finished the final draft of his paper and is sending a copy of it to LP for inspection. [Letters from LP to Soldate, October 8, 1951 and November 1, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Soldate, Albert M.), #365.12]