University College London ● Gower Street WC1

Professor Linus Pauling

3500 Fairpoint Street,

Pasadena 8

California

4th July, 1963.

Dear Daddy,

I was very pleased to get your letter of the 25th June. I did not know that you had been at the ranch (though I decided you probably were away) and had been disappointed not to hear from you.

I did not mean to imply that you had a duty to me. I think it is obvious at the age of 32 that you do not have any duties whatsoever to me. I think the relationship should not be one of duty but rather of freedom.

I am very pleased that you say you are going to try to make decisions in such a way as to cause you and Mamma the maximum pleasure, satisfaction and happiness. It seems to me the only sensible criteria. I myself am going to try to make decisions on a similar basis, and feel that the way I can help those about me increase their happiness most is by doing what I can to make me happy. My concept of your views of yourself and the world are so clouded by other peoples concepts of you that I have difficulty knowing whether the impressions I remember of you are correct. Nevertheless, my impression is that you may not have used these criteria twenty years ago.

It occurred to me some time ago, after 30 years of incompetence, that in all the many things that I would like to do, some serious with a social value and some just to give me pleasure, the transfer of money from one place to another is usually involved; that is, someone has to pay the bill. I have been trying for 30 years to get out of paying the bill. I have decided that I could contribute a lot to many people and to society. And to myself. I also decided that in order for me to be happy I would have to start accomplishing things, things that I wanted to do. I thought that the blocks that I have against getting things done are so strong that I must do everything possible in order to help myself actually do things. For example I decided I could work better with a dictaphone and a little girl with a typewriter at the other end. Consequently, I bought a machine and a typewriter and a neighbor types for me. I think these things have helped me. I still have great trouble producing papers, but at least I keep up roughly with my correspondence. Someone has to pay for all these things. The University will not; I consider their standards of secretarial assistance for Professors Nyholm and Lonsdale to be completely inadequate. So does Professor Nyholm. Furthermore, if I want to go on holiday with my family someone must pay for this. The salaries in British Universities are such that I cannot cover what I consider necessary and reasonable expenditure from my salary. Consequently I must look for other means of making money.

Like you, however, I wish to spend the minimum amount of time necessary doing things I do not want to do just to make money which allow me to do the things that I do want to do which are nonetheless of value to me and others.

In almost all ways you are my greatest asset. If I need advice, help, knowledge, money, almost anything, you are my greatest single asset. Consequently, when I discover that I have to make money it is only sensible and reasonable that I consider ways of making use of my assets. If I could think of a way for you to do something that would make you happy and make me money it is only sensible for me to suggest it. I do not think I would want money at the expense of your happiness.

If I could think of a way for me to do something that would make you happy and me money then it is sensible for me to consider it too but not if it would make me too unhappy. I think writing a High School Chemistry Text comes in this class. I cannot possibly write such a book, with you or with anyone else. It is only properly your province. I could write a book with you on some subject in which I was the major contributor, contributor in almost all ways such as it was something (Cont. on Air letter 2)

University College London ● Gower Street WC1

(Air Letter No. 2)

that I wanted to do, about something I knew a good deal and could teach to other people. I do not know enough about Chemistry. The block which I have against doing things with you, which I think is not your fault, can only be overcome by our doing something for which I am the primary impetus.

Professor E.D.Hughes, the big Welshman who took the Chair upon C.K.Ingold's retirement died on Sunday from cancer of the stomach or some similar cause. Though I did not understand him very well and put him in the class of authority, I am sorry to lose him. He was always very good to me. The future of the Chair is uncertain, but I think it pretty likely that R.S. Nyholm will be appointed.

With love from

Peter