December 20, 1940
Dr. Richard C. Tolman
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue
Washington, D.C.
Dear Richard:
We have continued to have no success in our efforts to obtain a permanent visa for Professor Zechmeister. For several months
his application for a Mexican visa has been in the hands of the Mexican government, with no result. Professor Millikan wrote
to the Mexican Secretary of State about two weeks ago, requesting that the visa be given him, and has not yet received an
answer. The Mexican Secretary of State had written to Zechmeister that his visa application was under consideration. The
Mexican Consul has said that as soon as assurance that Zechmeister would be readmitted to the United States were at hand,
the visa would be issued. The British Consul in Los Angeles also told Professor Millikan that he had found on consultation
with the Canadian officials that if this assurance were given Zechmeister could obtain a visa to Canada and reenter the United
States from that country.
Zechmeister's visitors visa expires on December 29, 1940. He has applied for an extension of six months, to June 29, 1941.
A copy of the affidavit which he submitted with his application is enclosed. You will see that it states that the Institute
has extended the appointment of Dr. Zechmeister for a further term, and has in addition offered him a permanent appointment.
When I talked with the legal representative of the Los Angeles office of the American Bureau of Immigration, he said that
Professor Zechmeister's reentry into the United States on a permanent professorial visa under Section 4d of the Immigration
Act of 1924 seemed to be a perfectly straight-forward matter.
In his letter to you of August 7, 1940 Mr. Eliot B. Coulter mentioned that American consular officers no longer followed the
practice of making preliminary examinations of documents. The American Consul at Tia Juana wrote the same thing to Professor
Zechmeister last summer. It occurs to me that the situation might possibly be changed now. If it is not too inconvenient
for you, would you be willing to make inquiry about this point. Also, I would think that it would be good if someone of some
influence in the American government were to express an interest in this case, perhaps writing a letter with the statement
that it would be a good thing for Professor Zechmeister to be brought into the country permanently. This document, even though
not official or binding, might influence the Mexican government to give Zechmeister a visa. I do not like to trouble you
about this matter, but I hope that something can be done, and I have thought that you might well know how to handle the situation.
Everything is going along well in the laboratory here. I miss my occasional talks with you, and wish that you were back.
We have had some problems regarding men in biology who seem to us to be essentially chemists and who are going to receive
doctorates with possibly less satisfactory training than we require of our men.
Has anybody expressed any interest in research on hydrogen peroxide? Dr. Giguere's fellowship expires at the end of this
month, and unless some support for him becomes available he will leave.
With best regards to you and to Ruth, I am
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling
LP:jr
Enclosure
