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Letter from Linus Pauling to the Los Angeles Board of Appeal of the U.S. Selective Service System. November 10, 1942.
Pauling writes to provide further justification for the granting to Eli Mozitt of a six-month deferment from required military service in order to assist Pauling's program of scientific war work.

Transcript

November 10, 1942

Board of Appeal

Selective Service System

Local Board No. 234

3406 West Washington Blvd., Rm. 5

Los Angeles, California

Gentlemen:

For several months we have been carrying on a problem of war research under contract between the California Institute of Technology and the Committee on Medical Research of the Office of Scientific Research and Development. The nature of this work is confidential, but I may say that it relates to the problem of blood transfusion. After the preliminary chemical work had been done, it became necessary for physiological work to be carried out, and recently arrangements were made to have this physiological work done at the University of Southern California under the direction of Professor Drury and Dr. Mehl. Mr. Eli Movitt, Order No. 2077, was employed to carry out this work, to which he is to devote half his time. We have had great difficulty in finding suitably trained men to carry on this war research, and for this reason I recommended classification of Mr. Movitt in Class II-A. I do not know of any other suitably trained man who is available to carry on this work, and I am appealing from the classification made by the Local Board, in order that we may have his assistance in the satisfactory completion of our war research problem. There is no man of suitable physiological training available at the California Institute of Technology, and I do not know of anyone else who can be hired in place of Mr. Movitt.

Respectfully yours,

Linus Pauling, Chairman

Division of Chemistry and

Chemical Engineering

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