Letter from Linus Pauling to Peter Pauling. May 29, 1963. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 2 pp.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• Article, “100,000 in Greece at Leftist Burial,” The New York Times. [Filed under LP Peace: (Issues of International Diplomacy and Human Rights, Cu-Ir), Box #6.014, Folder #14.8]
• Check from AHP to Arnold’s Hardware RE: $22.70.  [Bank Statement from First Western Bank to LP and AHP June 18, 1963] [Filed under LP Biographical: Business and Financial: Box #4.027, Folder #27.2]
• LP Notes to Self RE: Discusses C.I.T. building committee’s desire to limit the space used by LP’s mental disease experiments.  LP explains his attempt to maintain an additional room by limiting his own laboratory and office space as well as his frustration at his conversation with Dr. Roberts.  [Filed under LP Biographical: Materials re: Correspondence, Memoranda: Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, C.I.T., 1957-1964: Box #1.022, Folder #22.2]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Adolf A. Abrahamson, Department of Physics, The City College of The City University of New York, RE: Thanks Abrahamson for sending him a reprint of the paper. Requests a reprint of the article when published. [Letter from Abrahamson to LP April 2, 1963] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (A: Correspondence), #14.2]  
• Letter from LP to Mrs. D. M. Hamburger RE: Regrets that he does not have enough experience with nuclear power plants to comment on the proposed plant for Moss Landing.  Suggests that she contact Professor O. Chamberlain at University of California. [Letter from Hamburger to LP May 21, 1963] [Filed under LP Correspondence:(H: Correspondence, 1963), #169.1]
• Letter from LP to Peter Pauling. [Filed under LP Biographical: Personal and Family, Box 5.044, Folder 44.5]

  29 May 1963

  Dr. Peter Pauling

  62 Elgin Crescent

  London, W. 11.

  England

  Dear Peter:

  I was pleased to get another letter from you, which Mama and I found after we got back from New York. We were there all last week, participating in a court case, before a jury, which decided against me. We are appealing, because my lawyer talked with some of the jurors and got the impression that we had made such a good case that they decided that I had not been damaged at all. However, we settled another suit out of court.

  You are no doubt right in saying that I would have trouble spending the million dollars over the next twenty years, but I point out that I plan to live more than twenty years, and I might speed up my rate of expenditure.

  However, the fact is that I don't want to be bothered to write a high school text, and I doubt that I shall do so. First, it is very hard to find a satisfactory collaborator. I have tried two or three, without success. My experience is that it is about as easy to do something myself as to get somebody else to do it, and if I do it myself I am satisfied with it, whereas if I get somebody else to do it I am not.

  The arrangement about your coming stay with us during the summer is something that you and Mama will have to work out.

  I am sorry to learn that you are feeling pessimistic about the U. C. department, and also about the Kendrew Empire. I may point out to you that it is not an easy matter to run a department and keep people satisfied and happy.

  You will be interested in an activity that Mama and I indulged in last Saturday. One of our lawyers lives in Yakima, Washington. He had flown his own plane to New York. It is a Beechcraft. He asked if we would like to fly back with him. I would not have accepted but Mama accepted, and I decided that the proper thing was for me to go along, and keep an eye on her. So the three of us flew from New York to Yakima. The plane can go about 1200 miles before it needs to be refueled. We left New York at 6:00 A.M., stopped for breakfast at Chicago, stopped again at Rapid City, South Dakota, and then flew on to Yakima, arriving 14.5 hours after leaving New York. While flying over the rockies we were plagued with thunder storms, but managed to dodge around them without getting into any serious trouble. We had to go up to 9000 ft. to get over the rockies in a place that was free of storms. Most of the flight was at about 5000 ft. Then on Sunday we came home by commercial airlines.

  How I may say something more about the high school text. I offered to advance $10,000 to you if you would work for a year writing such a text, in collaboration with me (or, I would prefer, with me as consultant). One reason that I do not want to start out on such a job is that the book would have to be revised about every five years, and I am not willing to go to the trouble of revising it, although I might give advice and some help on the revisions so long as I remained moderately free from senility. I must say that I rather doubt that you could do the job in one year - probably two years would be better, and I would be willing to invest $10,000 during each of two years, with the idea that I would be repaid on my investment by my share of the royalties, if you do the major job of writing, I would expect that you would get the major share of the royalties.

  This would, I think, be well worthwhile for you, if you could spare one year or two years from your other work. Whether you can or not depends upon how your career is going, in London.

  Much love from,

  Linus Pauling:hpg

  P. S. I think that the time is right now to get out the high school book. Three or four years from now there are sure to be several competitors, and it would be worthwhile to get into the field early.

• Letter from LP to Rene Racover RE: LP has not made a public comment about the Gordon Copper space flight and at present LP is too busy to prepare a statement.  LP suggests that Racover see Sir John Cockfort’s address to the British Association for the Advancement of Science which was published in Nature. [Letter from Racover to LP May 22, 1963] [Filed under LP Correspondence: R: Correspondence, 1960-1963: Box #324 Folder #324.4]
• Letter from Robert W. Gilmore, Executive Director, Turn Toward Peace, to M.S. Arnoni, Editor, The Minority of One, RE: Requests that the full report of eleven delegates to the Oxford Conference be published. The International Liaison Committee felt it was needed for the interest of open discussion, especially after the statements made by LP and AHP in the May 1963 issue of The Minority of One. [Letter from Menachem S. Arnoni to LP May 31, 1963] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M.S. Arnoni), #6.15]  
• Letter from Roger Howley, Cornell University Press, to LP RE: Introduces himself as Victor Reynolds’s successor.  Inquires about progress being made of the preparation of manuscript of the fourth edition of The Nature of the Chemical Bond. [Letter from LP to Howley May 31, 1963] [Filed under LP Books: Unpb8.1]
• Letter to Ralph Schoenman from LP, RE: LP informs Schoenman that he has signed Russell's statement, and that he is pleased to learn of Schoenman's activities in the Middle East. He is looking forward to seeing the special volume in which his essay will be published. He asks what has happened to Russell's letter to the Bulletin, and says that he has sent a cheque to Russell to cover all expenditures made on LP's behalf during the business with the Bulletin. Adds that he and AHP just crossed the US in a small plane, piloted by a friend- LP says he would have been too cautious to accept the invitation, but AHP did and he "could hardly be less brave than she." [Filed under LP Safe Contents, Drawer 2, Folder 2.002]
• Memorandum from LP to LP, RE: About two weeks previous, Professor Roberts suggested that LP compress his research from the four rooms he was currently using into only two. LP told Roberts he did not want to accept this suggestion. Roberts sent him a letter requesting that he do so, and while in NY, LP received a call from Dr. Shaw saying that Roberts had told Shaw that the project would have to give up two rooms. LP made an alternative proposal, in which they give up one room and the bulk of LP's office space; the Building Committee rejected it, with Roberts' explanation that as much space as possible needs to be taken away from the project in question, who occupy more space per man than any other project on campus. LP has plans to meet with Roberts again. [Filed under LP Safe Contents, Drawer 2, Folder 2.006]
• Newspaper Clipping: “Republicans Ask O.C.M.A. for Consistency of Purpose”, Santa Ana  (California) Register. [Filed under LP Biographical: Scrapbooks: Box #6.008 Folder #8.407]