13 February 1956

Dr. T. H. Geballe

204 Springfield Avenue

Summit, New Jersey

Dear Dr. Geballe:

I have thought for some time that I would write to your aunt, who was my first science teacher, and I am accordingly writing to you to ask for her address. I have not seen her for a long time.

Sincerely yours,

Dictated by Linus Pauling

Signed in his absence: W

13 February 1956

Dear Crellin:

Mama and I are planning to leave home on the morning of Friday 23 March, flying to Portland. I suppose that we could arrive in time for me to give a talk in the late afternoon on Friday; surely in the evening, or on Saturday, if that is better for you. I am willing to do anything that you want, so you may see about making whatever plans you can make.

We shall perhaps continue on to Vancouver, B.C. by the train leaving Saturday night. If the weather is good we might go by plane on Sunday. We are planning to leave Vancouver at 8 P.M. on Sunday.

As for the summer, I should like to have you continue to work on making drawings for the Nature of the Chemical Bond, if you sure willing to do so. There is, however, a possibility that Mama and I shall be away for part of the summer - perhaps the month of June and two weeks of July. I think that we could give you a job in the laboratory during the time that we are away. We have a protein structure project that is beginning to move along now. There are a couple of inorganic preparations that need to be made in connection with it, namely, preparations of the substances Ta₆Cl₁₄ and Nb₆Cl₁₄. The preparation of Ta₆Cl₁₄ is reasonably straightforward. Something like 10 grams can be made in one batch, taking a few days. We may want to have some more of this substance made. The preparation of Cd₆Cl₁₄ seems to be harder to accomplish. Professor F. J. Allen is now working on this preparation. I think that the substance has been made only once before, by Professor Herbert Hamed, as part of his doctorate research in the University of Pennsylvania, 1910 to 1913.

If it turns out that we do not need to have more of these substances made (Dr. Segall, who made the first batches of Ta₆Cl₁₄, will be at hand here, in case that you work on this job), there is the possibility of your working with Dr. Leung in the growing of protein crystals. This job requires careful technique, and I think that Dr. Leung might be willing to have you as an assistant on the job. We are going to try to make crystals of a very large number of proteins, so that I think there would be enough to keep you busy.

Mama and I are leaving now for our trip to Berkeley, Arcata (near Eureka, northern California), and Stanford. We shall be home in two weeks.

Love from

[Linus Pauling]