Dear Dr. Pauling:
Various circumstances have conspired to disrupt, in one way, or another, the normal
course of the consideration of your request for further-assistance. For one thing,
I had expected to meet Mr. Hanson in the Middle West and have a chance to discuss
with him everything he had learned at Pasadena, and it was originally supposed that
this discussion could take place in advance of the necessity of any formal presentation
of the case to my other colleagues in New York. I am prevented, however, by illness
from making the trip to the Middle West, and it is necessary to prepare certain preliminary
material here at the present time, several weeks in advance of the December meeting
at which the proposal will presumably come up for discussion and decision. It has
therefore turned out to be necessary that my preparation of a recommendation must
be completed before I have a chance to see Mr. Hanson. I have obtained some information
from him by wire, but that is necessarily brief. A further complication arises from
the fact that there is a strong probability that it will be necessary to restrict
the present recommendation to support for a single year. We had hoped that it might
be possible to discuss at this time a longer-range program, but it does not seem likely
that this will prove feasible.
On the basis of information obtained from Mr. Hanson, I have tentatively prepared
to discuss the matter with my colleagues here on the basis of a contribution of $10,000
for the academic year 1935-36. I understand that you expect to apply to Dr. Millikan
for $5,000 additional support. I have assumed that the proposed contribution of the
Foundation would be related to that portion of the program which is of more direct
biological significance, while the contribution from the Institute would presumably
be directed toward the basic studies in pure theoretical chemistry.
I am reporting this matter to you at once so that you will have an opportunity to
offer corrections if I have mis-stated the case. Any degree of assurance which the
authorities of the Institute could give to us at this time concerning their contribution
of $5,000 would naturally be of importance to us in our discussions. I would also
like to have, in the answer to this letter, a direct assurance that the proposal in
question has the approval of the authorities of the Institute.
Although, as I have said before, it seems to me wholly likely that it will be necessary
to consider this matter for a single year, there still remains a very small chance
that support over a long period might be discussed. If, therefore, the Institute is
in a position to give assurances at this time as to what contributions it is prepared
to pledge for a program extending over three or four years, I am willing to discuss
the possibility of our entering into such a cooperative agreement. I cannot give you
the faintest assurance that such a plan can be effectively discussed at the moment.
I am quite sure, however, that there would be no point in raising the question unless
the Institute is itself prepared to make a substantial pledge toward the stabilization
of your work.
I am sorry to have to hurry you, but it would be advantageous if you would return,
by air mail, the answer to this letter as promptly as is convenient.
Very cordially,
