4 November 1954
President Lee A. DuBridge
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena 4, California
Dear Lee:
You may remember that my plan to go to India in January 1954 at the invitation of
the Indian Science Congress Association and the Government of India had to be given
up, after I had obtained leave of absence from the Institute for this purpose.
Ava Helen and I propose to go to Stockholm, and to leave Pasadena about 6 December.
We have decided that it would be sensible to make use of the travel this far around
the world, by continuing, and I am accordingly planning that we go to India and Japan,
and way countries, for scientific purposes purely, plus the enjoyment of the travel.
I plan that we shall be back in Pasadena late in March. I am accordingly writing
to ask you if I could have leave of absence, with pay, during the months from December
to March. I have arranged for my teaching to be taken care of, and for Professor
Niemann to serve as acting chairman of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
Professor Sturdivant will, as usual, take the responsibility for preparing the budget.
I want to take this opportunity also to express to you and to the Trustees of the
California Institute of Technology my deep appreciation of the extraordinarily fine
way in which you have conducted the affairs of the Institute. I am convinced that
there is no place in the world that is better suited to the prosecution of scientific
work. I am now in my thirty-third year of activity in the California Institute of
Technology, every year a pleasant one for me, and I am looking forward to similarly
pleasant and productive activity for twelve years more, after this one.
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling:W
