March 5, 1958 - Linus Pauling Day-by-Day

Letter from Dr. Henry K. Beecher, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, to LP RE: Encloses a list of those who have tentatively agreed to participate in the Lowell Lectures on "Disease and the Advancement of Basic Science." LP should indicate his top three choices among the available dates for his lecture. Should indicate the title of his lecture, as well as any aids he may need. Requests that LP's manuscript be submitted for publication at the time of his lecture. The Lowell Institute will provide an honorarium $100. LP will also be reimbursed for his expenses. Expresses appreciation for LP's willingness to participate in the series. [Letter from Henry K. Beecher to LP May 27, 1958] [Filed under LP Speeches: 1958s2.8]

Letter from H. F. Schwarz, to LP. RE: Informs him that a model Un will be held in the suburbs of Chicago starting March 23rd. Asks for a copy of the petition. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1958) #380.2]

Letter from Hugh Lindley, Wool Textile Research Laboratories, to LP. RE: Would like to see him while in Pasadena in May. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (L: Correspondence, 1958) #231.4]

Letter from John Jaros, to LP. RE: Requests information on radiation and its effects on the human race. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (J: Correspondence, 1958) #192.24]

Letter from John R. Van Wazer, Monsanto Chemical Company, to LP. RE: Informs him that he will be visiting LP's labs in April. Offers to present a talk entitled "The New Chemistry of Phosphorus." [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Van Wazer, John R., 1954-1958) #425.2]

Letter from Jonathan C. Rice, KQED, to LP RE: Writes that he is working on a commercial release of the debate, but that he has to contact the Educational TV and Radio Center. Also invites LP to appear on KQED on April 16 on a program entitled "Education on Trial." [Letter from LP to Rice March 4, 1958, Letter from LP to Rice March 10, 1958] [Filed under LP Manuscripts of Articles: 1958a.7]

Letter from Jonathan C. Rice, KQED, to Robert Hudson cc:LP RE: Writes that he called Edward Teller to ask if he would allow the debate to be shown on commercial television and he agreed with two stipulations that the station must show the entire hour of the debate and that the film be offered at a stiff fee. [Filed under LP Manuscripts of Articles: 1958a.7]

Letter from LP to A. H. Sturtevant, CIT. RE: Asks for information about nuclear weapons and war. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Sturtevant, A. H.) #370.4]

Letter from LP to Alexander Hollaender, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. RE: Requests information regarding the change in percentage rate of mutations after bomb testing. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (H: Correspondence, 1958) #167.3]

Letter from LP to Alison Mathews, RE: LP is enclosing a copy of the petition for Mrs. Mathews. LP tells Mathews that he is writing a book "No More War" which will be published in a few months. [Letter from Mathews February 27, 1958] [Filed under LP Peace: (An Appeal by Scientists to the Governments and People of the World), Box #5.002, Folder #2.1]

Letter from LP to Berwind P. Kaufmann, Carnegie Institution of Washington. RE: Requests his estimate of the probable increase of the mutation rate in human beings. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (K: Correspondence, 1958) #201.2]

Letter from LP to Dr. C.C. Little, Roscoe P. Jackson Memorial Laboratory. RE: Asks for information regarding the mutation rate in human beings. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (L:Correspondence, 1958) #231.4]

Letter from LP to Dr. J. Shemir. RE: Informs him that they do not do the kind of work he is looking for at CIT. Recommends a different university. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1958) #380.2]

Letter from LP to Dr. M. Cemerec, Carnegie Institution of Washington. RE: Requests information from him on the topic of nuclear weapons and war. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Demerec, Milislav, 1958) #93.1]

Letter from LP to Dr. T.O. Jones, National Science Foundation RE: Today they are sending the two drawings for the first panel of the exhibit on the chemical bond and asks Jones to make a correction to the first of the drawings. LP is disappointed that the protein exhibit has been abandoned but he sees no alternative. [Letter from Jones to LP March 7, 1958] [Filed under LP Science: National Science Foundation: Grants, Exhibits, 1954-1964: Box #14.030, Folder #30.6]

Letter from LP to Dr. W. F. Libby, Atomic Energy Commission. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Libby, W. F.) #217.2]

5 March 1958

Dr. W. F. Libby

Atomic Energy Commission

Washington 25 D.C.

Dear Bill:

I am writing a book on nuclear weapons and war; I hope to turn the manuscript over to the publisher before the end of the month. I have been stimulated to publish the book by the refusal of LIFE Magazine to publish an article by me in which the erroneous statements and misleading statements in the article by Drs. Teller and Latter would be discussed.

I hope that my book will not be open to any serious criticism, and I am striving to have the information given in it as reliable as possible.

I have difficulties of various sorts, and I am writing to you to ask if you would help me with one of them.

In the 23rd Semi-Annual Report of the Atomic Energy Commission, page 233, there is a table in which there are given "Preliminary estimates of radiation exposures in localities, estimated doses." Under the column "Cumulative for All Tests" which is described on page 281 as "Estimated Total Exposures Accumulated in the Localities Cited for All Nuclear Tests Held at the Neva Test Site, Including the Plumbbob Series," there is given the value 4.28 roentgens for Hurricane, Utah, population 1,375.

However, in the 14th Semi-Annual Report of the Atomic Energy Commission, it was stated that the 1500 Inhabitants of Hurricane, Utah, had received a 13-week dose of 5.0 roentgens, and it was also said that these amounts should be increased somewhat (about 50 percent) to take account of the deposited radioactivity that had not yet become effective.

Could you tell me the explanation of the apparent discrepancy?

Also, I should like to ask if you have information about the average annual incidence of leukemia and bone cancer in Denver, New Orleans, and San Francisco for years other than 1947? I should think that the National Institutes of Health; Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, could have given you such figures as easily as the figures for 1947 and that they might well have done so. I should like to know how much variation there is from year to year. I would expect that the fluctuations from each of the six numbers that you quoted would be of the order of 1 or 2 cases per year per 100,000 population.

I have not made any very strong statements about you in my manuscript. One statement that I make is critical of your introduction of the Denver argument. In your New Hampshire lecture you said that the number of cases "is small so our data may not be too significant. However, these figures do point to a definite tangible evidence of a margin of safety." Also in your American Physical Society lecture you say "... We cannot say that this proves anything. It does, however, give us some assurance from normal experience that the effect of 8 S. U. will not cause a detectable increase in bone cancer or leukemia." I criticized these statements as misleading, because they suggest that the statistics have some validity about the question of somatic effects of small amounts of radiation, whereas in fact they have no validity. They do not provide any evidence whatever as to whether or not leukemia is caused by small amounts, of radiation in the amount estimated by Professor Lewis, or whether bone cancer is caused by small amounts of radiation in a similar amount. Teller and Latter, of course, presented your argument and made a false statement about what it proves.

With best regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:w

Letter from LP to James F. Crow RE: Explains that he is writing a book on nuclear weapons and war and would like some information from Crow. Asks what his independent estimate of the increase in mutation rate is and if he has any advice for LP. Also asks some specifics about Crow's figures as compared with the figures of the NAS-NRC committee. [Letter from Crow to LP March 12, 1958] [Filed under LP Books: 1958b3.1]

Letter from LP to James F. Crow, University of Wisconsin. RE: Requests information for a book he is writing on nuclear weapons and war. Would like to know more about his testament to the Congressional Subcommittee. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (C: Correspondence, 1958) #75.1]

Letter from LP to James V. Neel, University of Michigan. RE: Asks for his estimate of the increase in mutation rate. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Neel, James V. 1954, 1958) #276.4]

Letter from LP to Joseph I. Oser RE: Thanks Oser for his suggestions regarding College Chemistry and writes that he agrees with most of them, and responds to a few. Mentions that he will try to make use of them soon, in preparing another printing. [Filed under LP Books: 1955b.3]

Letter from LP to Louis H. Winer. RE: Informs him that he will be in Europe at that time. Will not try to answer the questions in his letter. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (W: Correspondence, 1958) #444.6]

Letter from LP to Mr. Dag Hammarskjold, RE: LP has recently received a telegram reading "We sent our signatures directly to the U.N. sincerely yours (signed) Bela Faludi." LP notes that Faludi had been asked to collect signatures from Hungarian scientists. Since January 13, LP has received several hundred more signatures to the petition which he is preparing to send to Hammarskjold. LP is asking which Hungarian signatures have been added to the list and how many there are. [Filed under LP Peace: (An Appeal by Scientists to the Governments and People of the World, 1957-1959), Box #5.002, Folder #2.4]

Letter from LP to Mrs. William Taylor, Publicity Chairman, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Pennsylvania Branch, RE: Agrees to be interviewed by Gunnar Back on April 21 at 2 PM. LP and AHP will arrive in Philadelphia on Sunday or Monday. [Letter from Taylor to LP February 19, 1958] [Filed under LP Speeches: 1958s.15]

Letter from LP to Rev. Robert W. Anderson, Director, Long Beach Cosmic Research Society, RE: Thanks Anderson for the invitation, but states that his schedule is already full and cannot come to give a talk. [Letter from Rev. Robert W. Anderson to LP February 21, 1958] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (A: Correspondence, 1958), #13.1]

Letter from LP to Sewell Wright, University of Wisconsin. RE; IS writing a book on nuclear weapons and war. Would like to verify his estimate to the probably increase in the mutation rate in human beings. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (W: Correspondence, 1958) #444.6]

Letter from LP to Shields Warren, New England Deaconess Hospital. RE: Would like to verify his estimate of the probably increase of the mutation rate in human beings due to bomb testing. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (W: Correspondence, 1958) #444.6]

Letter from LP to T.M. Sonneborn, Indiana University, RE: Explains that he is writing a book and would like to know what Sonneborn's estimate of the increase in mutation rate is. Writes that both he and Professor George W. Beadle have made an estimate of 1% resulting from bomb testing at the present rate. [Letter from Krueger to LP March 13, 1958] [Filed under LP Books: 1958b3.1]

Letter from Margaret Simkin to AHP, RE: Tells her that she greatly enjoyed her talk on travel and that it was nice to learn more about what she and LP do. Also asks if she could include a meeting somewhere in her travels over the summer. [Filed under AHP: General Correspondence, Peace and Political, Box #1.004 Folder #4.4]

Letter from Morton A. Fineman, Providence College, to LP. RE: Encloses an article on the correlation of bond dissociation energies. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (F: Correspondence, 1958) #129.2]

Letter from P. Lee, French Book Guild, to LP. RE: Encloses their general catalogue of Larousse publications. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (L:Correspondence, 1958) #231.4]

Letter from Walter Pollit, Hughes Aircraft Company, to LP RE: Confirms that LP will speak to the AIMME Section on March 12. One of their members will contact LP regarding transportation. [Letter from LP to Pollit February 12, 1958] [Filed under LP Speeches: 1958s.11]

Memo from Ivan M. Ponedel to R. B. Gilmore, cc: LP RE: Attached for filing is a copy of the letter from USPHS, dated 28 February 1958, extending the period of performance of Grant No. H-3136 for one year, through 30 April 1959 without additional funds. Included is LP's request for extension. [Filed under LP Science: (United States Public Health Service: Assorted Grants, 1954-1964), Box #14.042, Folder #42.2]

Newspaper Clipping: "Human Group Agreement," San Francisco Progress, March 5-6, 1958. [Filed under LP Newspaper Clippings: 1958n.18]

Round Trip Letter from Dora E. Young, The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation to LP RE: Attaches a copy of Dr. Bernard D. Wiegand's application as well as Dr. Bauer's evaluation and recommendation. LP responds that he approves Dr. Bauer's recommendation. [Round Trip Letter from Young to LP March 1, 1958 [?]] [Filed under LP Science: Helen Hay Whitney Foundation- Scientific Advisory Committee: Postdoctoral Biomedical Research Fellowship Applicants, 1958: Box #15.007, Folder #7.13]

Round Trip Letter from Dora E. Young, The Helen Hay Whitney Foundation to LP RE: Attaches a copy of Joseph W. Messer's application for a Fellowship as well as a copy of Dr. Bauer's evaluation and recommendation. LP responds that he votes for rejection of Messer's application. [Round Trip Letter from Young to LP March 7, 1958] [Filed under LP Science: Helen Hay Whitney Foundation- Scientific Advisory Committee: Postdoctoral Biomedical Research Fellowship Applicants, 1958: Box #15.007, Folder #7.13]

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