Sunday, 6 PM

[February 2, 1941]

Dear little love:

I got in safely at 8 ³⁰ — after as usual when I am away from you having had a hard time getting to sleep at night — its [sic] strange how much I can sleep when I am with you. I got a room at the Commodore (a nice little one for $3 — due to my professional discount) and at 9 ³⁰ went to the meeting. The committee includes Aydelotte, Dr Sabin, Wilson, _ Notestein of Yale. We set right to work and (with an hour off for lunch) finished at 4 ⁴⁵ ! I looked to see if I could get home earlier, but found no way of making it — if the Superchief ran every day I could get home a day sooner.

A nice air-mail letter was awaiting me at the office — but it was from James, containing a telegram asking if we could build four of my instruments at once. You seem to have been serious in saying that my visit here is so short that there is no need for you to write. I am going now to dinner with Henry. I think I shall go then to call on Landsteiner, and

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tomorrow go out to Columbia — and then at 4 start for Chicago — and home to my beautiful little wife.

Love from your

Linus

[Enclosure: cartoon drawing of two men in front of a house with driveway that winds back and forth. One is gesturing toward to the driveway.]

"It's the only driveway my wife has been able to back out of!"

[Enclosure: cartoon drawing of a restaurant kitchen with piles of dishes on the counters. The dishwasher is holding a ceiling-high stack of dishes in each arm, with a distressed look on his face. The maître d' just came through the door smiling, and is speaking to the dishwasher.]

"Your wife just had triplets!"

Sunday- 10³⁰ PM

Dearest little sweetheart Ava Helen:

I have just returned from dinner with Henry at the Century Club. It was a great occasion- which built up effortlessly and planlessly. I met him there at 6:15. We looked at the exhibit of paintings- especially some wonderful ones by Childe Harold. Then we sat in the lounge and drank a small bottle of wine- a light imported wine with delicate flavor (Henry you remember is chairman of the Wine Committee). Then Augustus Tack, an artist, joined us, and we had clams on the half shell and a small bottle of a more strongly flavored wine- "Sylvanus". Then a man- rather plump and with a black moustache, and balding (He reminded me in many ways of Bob Robertson, ten years older) joined us. He was Nock, Professor of Biblical Literature at Harvard. From then until he left to see "Louisiana Purchase" he talked without stop- partly latin, partly French, much Wodehouse, poetry (he was an intimate friend of Houseman), limericks (which became uninhibited as his alcoholic proof increased), stories. Aydelotte also joined us. Moe said later that Nock's performance was very mild indeed- that he was afraid of Aydelotte- but that he was more amusing this way. He repeated pages of the best Wodehouse pages, made many bons mots. The only limerick I remember was (of course) his baudiest:

"The wife of the Master of Tizes(?)

Was brought up before the assizes

For teaching the boys

Connubial joys

And giving French letters asprizes."

Nock is a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Society. He said that he remembered my having dinner there with Conant a year ago.

For dinner tonight we had turtle soup, a steak (for the five of us), onions frites, three quarts of claret. After the others left I talked to Henry for a couple of hours. He surely knows the scholars of the country! He said that ultimately the ^J.S.G.^M.F would have $35000000, and asked whether I thought they should expand to include the NRF region or not. I said yes- and also that some grants-in-aid might be good, for people in small colleges.

By the way, Werner was passed, also Libby. Johnson was turned down, mainly because of Cope's poor performance on a similar project. Bethe was deferred so that his status could be examined. I'll tell you about others later.

During the last hour with Henry I was uncomfortable because the wine had upset my lower bowels. I managed to reach the hotel, and now feel somewhat better.

Your letter, written Thursday, has pleased me, dear little wife.

I think that I shall go to the Rock. Inst. tomorrow.

Your own loving

Paddy