"You know how children are threatened, 'You had better be good or the bad ogre will come get you.' Well, for more than a year Francis and others have been saying to the nucleic acid people at Kings, 'You had better work hard or Pauling will get interested in nucleic acids.' I would appreciate very much a copy of 'your' article. The MRC Unit would like one too. They are very interested."
Peter Pauling. Letter to Linus, Ava Helen and Crellin Pauling. January 14, 1953.

"I gave Watson essentially the paper on nucleic acids, and after the 12th he showed it. Morris [sic] Wilkins is supposed to be doing this work; Miss Franklin evidently is a fool. Relations are now slightly strained due to the Watson-Crick entering the field. They (W.C.) have some ideas and shall write you immediately. It is really up to them and not to me to tell you about it. We tried to build your structure, and succeeded, I think, it was pretty tight. Perhaps we should try the new one. They are getting pretty involved with their own efforts, and losing objectivity."
Peter Pauling. Letter to Linus and Ava Helen Pauling. March 14, 1953.

"The model of the structure of DNA was built in a temporarily unoccupied room on the ground floor of the Austin wing of the Cavendish laboratory. My contribution to the effort was to make for Jim a large electric convector heater from old motor resistors available from the Cavendish Stores so that Jim would not freeze while he was playing with the model."
Peter Pauling. "DNA - the race that never was?"New Scientist, 58: 560. May 31, 1973.

Back to Quotes homepage.