August 22, 1960

Director Gunner Jahn

0vre Slottsgate 2

Oslo, Norway

Dear Friend:

My wife and I were very pleased to hear word of you and Mrs. Poppe.

I am glad to learn that you have finished your work of historic writing, and I am eager to read what you have written, when it is published.

In your letter you ask if I had any reaction at all from the President of the United States on the appeal signed by eight recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. I did not receive an answer from President Johnson. Instead, I received a letter from Under Secretary of State Ball, who said that President Johnson had asked him to reply to my letter to him. The reply was quite unsatisfactory. I then wrote again to President Johnson, and I received another letter from Under Secretary of State Ball, again saying that President Johnson had asked him to reply. My second letter was about the question that was raised by Under Secretary Ball’s answer to the Appeal. The question was whether or not the announced willingness of the United States to engage in unconditional negotiation of the Vietnam war meant that the United States would negotiate with the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam. The answer from Under Secretary of State Ball was that the policy of the United States on this point was quite clear, that the United States Government did not recognize the National Liberation Front as a legal government, and was not willing to enter into negotiations with the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.

I wrote again to President Johnson, communicating to him the text of a letter that I had received from President Ho Chi Minh of North Vietnam, and urging President Johnson to take action. I said in my letter that I was sure that President Johnson had the ability and power to settle the war in Vietnam through negotiation, and urged him to do so. I did not receive a reply to this letter.

Also, I asked President Johnson to grant me interview, in connection with the appeal of the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. I received a letter from one of the presidential assistants, saying that the President was not willing to give me an interview, but that he himself, the assistant, would be willing to talk with me, if I were to come to Washington. I decided not to accept this invitation.

My wife and I are getting along well. We have been troubled somewhat with illness this year, more so than the preceding years - both she and I came down with the flu, and were incapacitated for a number of weeks. Also, when we came to our ranch, on the coast of California two months ago, in order to spend our holiday here and to provide me with the opportunity to revise one of my books, I went for a walk along the hillside, slipped on some slippery grass, and fell in such a way as to break the tibia, the large bone in the lower leg. The leg seems to be healing well, and the cast has been removed, but I shall be using crutches for a few weeks yet. My wife has taken good care of me, and last week I was in good enough shape to go to Monterey, seventy-five miles away, and give two lectures. One was a talk about chemistry to the Association of Chemistry Teachers in California, and the other a talk about world peace to the Unitarian and Universalist Ministers. I must say that I have been feeling discouraged about the world, and the failure of President Johnson to respond at all to the Appeal by the eight Nobel Peace Prize winners and to the other appeals that have been made to him has been especially discouraging. I have been working on the general problem of ethical principles, including the acceptance of ethical principles by nations. I found it necessary to say in my talk to the Unitarian and Universalist Ministers that it was my opinion now that the United States led all nations of the world in immorality. I agree with you that the United States is losing more and more good will around the world, by the policy of military aggression that we have been following during recent years.

With best wishes to you and Mrs. Poppe from my wife and me, I am

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling

P.S. I am asking my secretary to sign the letter, because the restriction on my movements would lead to a delay if she were to hold it until I could sign it.