Letter from Linus Pauling to Raymond O'Hara. August 24, 1959. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 1 p.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• Letter from LP to A. B. Mukherjee, Research Scholar, Department of Geology and Geophysics, I.I.T., RE: Says he has not been accepting research students in the field of x-ray crystallography in response to Mukherjee's question of the possibility of coming to Caltech. [Letter from Mukherjee to LP July 3, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1959), #258.1]
• Letter from LP to Clarence Pickett, RE: LP is pleased to hear that the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy is forming a group of sponsors. LP will be glad to accept the invitation to serve a sponsor for t he committee. [Pickett's letter August 3, 1959] [Filed under LP Peace: (SANE, 1958-1966, 1982), Box #4.003, Folder #3.8]
• Letter from LP to Edwin Diamond, Newsweek, RE: Makes an additional comment on an incorrect figure from the May 11 Newsweek article about LP's speech on nuclear arsenals. [Letter from Diamond to LP July 12, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Newsweek), #286.6]
• Letter from LP to Ernest V. Frederick, RE: LP was interested in Frederick's letter about his atomic therapy of cancer. LP does not think that he knows enough about this subject to comment on the various theory statements that Frederick discussed. [Frederick's letter August 15, 1959] [Frederick's reply September 4, 1959] [Filed under LP Peace: (Materials re: Strontium-90 June 1959-November 1959), Box #7.012, Folder #12.17]
• Letter from LP to Frederick von Müsser RE: Encloses an autographed copy of his book and a copy of the Hiroshima Appeal. [Letter from Müsser to LP June 5, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1959), #258.1]
• Letter from LP to H. J. Prebluda, U. S. Industrial Chemical Co., RE: Informs that the third edition of The Nature of the Chemical Bond will contain a complete table of electronegativities of the elements. [Letter from Prebluda to LP August 10, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (P: Correspondence) #313.7]
• Letter from LP to J. Neumann, RE: LP does not have any specific information about the rate of fallout of Strontium-90 and other radioactive materials in the stratosphere. LP judges that the amount of fallout from the Russian tests is larger than previously predicted because of the decreased residence time in the stratosphere. [Neumann's letter June 28, 1959] [Filed under LP Peace: (Materials re: Strontium-90, June 1959-November 1959), Box #7.012, Folder #12.17]
• Letter from LP to Janet Vaughan, RE: LP is questioning Vaughan's statement in the New Statesman in which she claims that "the amount of Strontium-90 received from fallout is quite harmless." LP is confident that Vaughan did not make that statement as there would be no one in the world who would be justified in making that claim. LP is asking Vaughan to tell him what statements she made about Strontium-90. LP is also enclosing a copy of a paper by Professor Barclay Kamb and LP on the effects of Strontium-90 on mice. [Vaughan's reply March 17, 1960] [Filed under LP Peace: (Materials re: Strontium-90, June 1959-November 1959), Box #7.012, Folder #12.17]
• Letter from LP to Jewel Phalares RE: Explains that he does not have time to answer Phalares' questions. Suggests that she refer to Garret Hardin's, Human Biology. [Letter from Phalares to LP June 30, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (P: Correspondence) #313.7]
• Letter from LP to John Schnabel RE: Says that his book, No More War!, will answer Schnabel's questions about bans on nuclear weapons testing. [Note from Schnabel to LP June 22, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S:Correspondence, 1959), #380.3]
• Letter from LP to Laura A. Bechtel, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, Lynwood Unified School District RE: Apologizes for the delay in answering her letter as he has been abroad, regrets that he is unable to accept her invitation to speak at the professional workshop in November as he will be in Australia and New Zealand. [Letter from Bechtel to LP June 9, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (L: Correspondence, 1959), #231.5]
• Letter from LP to Morton Friedenberg, Liberal Forum of Saint Louis. RE: Verifies an earlier telephone conversation. Plans to come to St. Louis to speak on February 21 for the Liberal Forum. Encloses a photograph and biographical material. [Letter from Levin September 15, 1959] [Filed under LP Speeches: (Speeches by LP, 1960) Box #1960s Folder #1960s.8]
• Letter from LP to Pablo Rivera RE: Refers Rivera to the Caltech chemical engineering and applied chemistry curriculum for information about subjects which a chemical engineer should study. [Note from Rivera to LP July 20, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (R: Correspondence, 1959), #341.5]
• Letter from LP to Professor G. M. Kosolapoff. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (K: Correspondence, 1959), #201.3]

  24 August 1959

  Professor G. M. Kosolapoff

  Post Office Box 830

  Auburn, Alabama

  Dear Professor Kosolapoff:

  I am happy, on my return to Pasadena, to find your letter of 18 July.

  First, let me discuss the question of butadiene, which you mention. This molecule was studied by electron diffraction by V. Schomaker and me, J.A.C.S. 61, 1769 (1939). We reported 1.46 ± 0.03 A for the "single" bond, and + 1.35 ± 0.02 A for the "double" bonds. There is no doubt that there is a large shortening of the single bond, but there is doubt as to whether there is a significant lengthening of the double bonds. In the discussion of resonance and bond length in my book, it is suggested that a few percent of double-bond character causes a large decrease in single-bond length, but a few percent of single-bond character causes only a small increase in double-bond length.

  I think that the situation remains essentially the same. I have discussed it in some detail in the third edition of my book, which will now be available in a few months. It may well turn out that the slope of my curve in the double-bond region should be less than I have taken it to be.

  I am sorry not to have seen Batuev's paper. I shall check up on it.

  I agree really completely with you about the questions that you have raised in the second part of your letter. I myself think that it would be wise not to make a big investment in fission power plants, but instead to hold off these developments until it is found out whether or not fusion can be used as a source of power. I think that the hazard associated with fusion power plants would be considerably less than that associated with fission power plants. I have, I think, been rather reserved in my comments on atomic power. However, I have not entered upon a campaign on this point, because I have wanted to concentrate on the problem of war.

  I note that on page 61 of my book I say that in every aspect of modern life that involves radiation we must remember the admonition: keep the dose as low as you can. This admonition is repeated on page 132, after a discussion of the fallacy of the ideas of mpd and mpc.

  Professor G. M. Kosolapoff Page 2 24 August 1959

  As to your discussion of the use of radioactive isotopes as tracers, I may say that I am not sure that I agree with you. I think that most investigators who have used radionucleides have been conscious of the difficulty that you mention.

  With best regards, I am

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling: jh

  P.S. I enclose a copy of the Hiroshima Appeal, which was adopted unanimously by the Fifth World Conference Against A and H Bombs.

  L. P.

  Enclosure

• Letter from LP to Professor George W. Hinman, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Physics Department RE: Says he has returned from a trip abroad to find his letter, says he has never applied for membership to the Society of Nuclear Medicine, says he doesn't know S. F. Thomas or E. R. Miller and in fact has never heard of them, and says he has never lived at the address given. Says he judges that it is the California Hospital, suggests that one of the mental patients there is responsible for this episode, says he has not checked on this, and is grateful that Hinman wrote to him. [Note from Hinman to LP July 4, 1959, letter from Hinman to Lewis August 28, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (H: Correspondence, 1959), #167.4]
• Letter from LP to R. K. Poddar, University of California, Berkeley, RE: Informs that no fellowships are currently available at Caltech. Discusses Poddar's application for a 1960-61 fellowship. [Letter from Harris to Poddar July 9, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (P: Correspondence) #313.7]
• Letter from LP to Raymond O'Hara. [Note from O'Hara to LP July 10, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (O: Correspondence, 1959), #300.21]

  24 August 1959

  Mr. Raymond O'Hara

  78 Prospect Park West

  Brooklyn 15, New York

  Dear Mr. O'Hara:

  I am pleased to say something about the question asked in your letter.

  If you will examine the equations of motion of, for example, the earth about the sun, as given by Newton's laws of motion, you will find that for a circular orbit the kinetic energy is equal to one half of the potential energy, with the sign changed. The potential energy is, of course, negative, relative to the state in which the two bodies are infinitely separated from one another. Accordingly, the total energy, the sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy, is also negative.

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling:jh

• Letter from LP to Richard T. Arnold, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, RE: Declines the invitation to come to the American Chemical Society meeting as a guest of the Sloan Foundation to view two films. [Letter from Arnold to LP September 20, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1959), #380.3]
• Letter from LP to Roger E. Williams, Miami University. RE: Shall complete his arrangements as soon as possible and will inform him of a definite date. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1960) #258.2]
• Letter from LP to Roland Turner RE: Says he does not have a set of solutions to the problems in General Chemistry. Says the publisher has a set of answers. [Letter from Harris to Turner June 30, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (T: Correspondence, 1959), #411.4]
• Letter from LP to Ted H. Carlson, Oregon State College Alumni Association, RE: Encloses a manuscript of an article to be published in the Oregon Stater alumni magazine. [Letter from Carlson to LP July 13, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Oregon State College: Correspondence, 1959), #298.4]
• Letter from LP to Tom Margerison, RE: LP has just seen the issue of the New Statesman that has Margerison's letter. Margerison letter mentioned statements that were made by Dame Janet Vaughan. LP is asking if Margerison can send him the reference for statements that he quoted from Vaughan. LP is also interested in the source of this statement because LP is absolutely sure that there is no one in the world who is justified in making such a sweeping statement. [Filed under LP Peace: (Materials re: Strontium-90, June 1959-November 1959), Box #7.012, Folder #12.17]
• Letter from LP to W. H. Taylor, Crystallographic Laboratory. RE: Shall plan to accept his invitation for the Crystallographic Congress. Does not have any definite suggestions to make about the allocation of funds for his expenses. [Letter from Taylor August 20, 1959, September 2, 1959] [Filed under LP Speeches: (Speeches by LP, 1960) Box #1960s2 Folder #1960s2.12]
• Letter from LP to William D. Pardridge RE: Declines the invitation to write a statement for Air Affairs. [Letter from Pardridge to LP July 9, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (P: Correspondence) #313.7]
• Letter from Professor Carl Djerassi, Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, to LP RE: Says he has written a book on Optical Rotary Dispersion which will be published in the near future, says the last chapter was written by Dr. E. R. Blout dealing with polypeptides and proteins, says he took his two different α-helix structures from a paper by LP and Corey and he didn't ask permission to reprint the figure, says he is writing to make up for the omission and says full acknowledgment will be made in the book. [Letter from LP to Djerassi August 27, 1959] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Djerassi, Carl), #96.3]
• Memo from LP to Dr. Meier RE: Says Meier's paper on natrolite looks fine and suggests he send it off. Makes minor changes to the paper. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1959), #258.1]
• Postcard from a 'friend' to LP. RE: Respects his intellectual integrity. Asks him to consider a stated basic premise. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (F: Correspondence, 1960) Box #129 Folder #129.4]