November 24, 1944.
Dear Dr. Pauling:
Your letter of October 5th has been received and read with active interest. The delay
in answering it occurred not because of any lack of attention to your proposal or
lessened interest in the protein field, but rather because of a deepening and broadening
interest and the desire to make, on our own behalf, and also to have made for us by
others, certain studies aimed to give us information of the important protein workers
of the world, the nature of the problems involved, and the tools which are available
and applicable.
It has, therefore, not seemed wise to hurry your request through to the December Board
in advance of presenting broad general considerations regarding the proteins to our
Trustees.
There is another matter which requires looking into and which may take some time for
the necessary discussions. The grant of $19,000 to California Institute of Technology
for immunology for chemical studies in your laboratory and for biological studies
in the Biology Department expires June 30, 1945. It does not seem feasible to us
to consider this new (or at least in some senses new) program for protein research
entirely apart from, the current program which we are now supporting in immunology.
Our suggestion is that after full discussion with your own colleagues and with Professor
Sturtevant's group regarding the inter-relationship, and perhaps the fusion, of the
two projects, you send us the results of these conferences. As matters now stand,
we would certainly encounter serious and embarrassing questions were we to present,
either at the same meeting of the Trustees or at meetings only a few months apart,
two projects for the same department for work in such closely related problems.
It would, of course, be most helpful if Mr. Weaver or I could come to California at
this time for a discussion of these matters. The problems of travel and hotel reservations
and especially the large amount of time Mr. Weaver is giving to his war work make
this so difficult that it seems better to attempt to negotiate by mail. If, after
we receive your next letter, it is clear that a meeting is desirable, one or other
of us will visit California.
Cordially yours,
Frank Blair Hanson.
Dr. Linus Pauling
Gates and Crellin Laboratories of Chemistry California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
