Letter from Linus Pauling to Leonora Bilger. March 14, 1951. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 1 p.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• Check from LP to Beatrice Wulf for $100.00. [Filed under LP Biographical: (Business and Financial: Bank Statements and Canceled Checks, September 1950-December 1952), Box #4.021, Folder #21.2]
• Letter from H. B. Klevens, Department of Agriculture, University of Minnesota, to LP RE: Discusses LP’s upcoming trip to Minneapolis and tells him about spectral studies made with proteins and amino acids. [Letter from LP to Klevens March 26, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (K: Correspondence, 1951), #200.16]
• Letter from Kosuke Ohki, Research Institute of Science and Industry, University of Kyushu, to LP RE: Discusses his difficulties in obtaining a copy of LP’s lecture, Jefferies Wyman’s visit to the University of Kyushu, and his recent manuscript and financial troubles. Also mentions the reprints he received from Dr. John R. Platt on “Iso-conjugate spectra and vari-conjugate sequence.” [Letter from LP to Ohki March 21, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (O: Correspondence, 1951), #300.13]
• Letter from LP to Barbara W. Low, University Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Harvard University, RE: Gives the measurements of the coils of the polypeptide chains and discusses the subject further. [Letters from Low to LP March 12, 1951, May 21, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Low, Barbara), #218.3]
• Letter from LP to Dr. John T. Edsall, Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Harvard University, RE: States that he misplaced Dr. Edsall’s letter asking him to participate in a symposium on the structure of proteins. Agrees to take part in the symposium as long as Professor Robert B. Corey is invited as well. Suggests that Dr Corey talk about the nature of the polypeptide chain in proteins and then LP will discuss the specific configurations of the polypeptide chain in proteins. States that they will each write a paper. Inquires if this idea appeals to Dr. Edsall. [Letters from Edsall to LP, February 23, 1951, March 21, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Edsall, John T.), #106.5 and LP Speeches: 1951s.16]
• Letter from LP to Dr. Leonora N. Bilger, Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Hawaii, RE: Says that the newspaper clippings disclosed that the University of Hawaii had withdrawn LP’s invitation, but that President Sinclair did not mention this. Says that for the time being, he will not answer Sinclair’s letter. Asks if she could step into the situation. [Letter from Bilger to LP March 14, 1951, March 29, 1951] [Filed under LP Biographical: Political Issues: (Correspondence re: University of Hawaii, 1950-1954), Box #2.005, Folder #5.1]
• Letter from LP to E. Bright Wilson, Jr., Department of Chemistry, Harvard University. [Note from Wilson to LP March 12, 1951, March 21, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Wilson, E. Bright (Jr.)), #438.5]

  March 15, 1951

  Dear Bright:

  I am writing to thank you and your colleagues for having invited me to be Visiting Professor at Harvard next year. Under normal circumstances I would not hesitate at all about accepting it – or, at any rate, doing everything possible to arrange here for a leave of absence to permit me to accept it. As I said to you over the phone, the present situation is an unusual one. I hope that you will allow me to think it over for a while, and to make a definite decision a little later – if you need to have a definite answer soon, please let me know.

  I am sure that you will not want to wait too long, and I do not want to handicap you in finding a good man for the job, in case that I am not able to accept.

  As to the matter that I mentioned over the phone, it still seems to me that it would be wise for me to stay in Pasadena during the coming year, and to push our protein work forward as rapidly as possible. I am having a hard time to keep my feet on the ground now – I have been working night and day, neglecting almost everything else. Corey and I have a paper coming out in the April issue of the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in which we describe, rather precisely, two configurations for polypeptide chains. We are hoping to have about six papers in the May issue of the Proceedings. In these papers we describe two other configurations, and discuss the presence of these structures in various special proteins, and the experimental evidence that the structures are right and are present in the proteins. I think that we know quite precisely the atomic structure of extended muscle and contracted muscle, of stretched hair and normal hair (we are rather uncertain as to whether we know what supercontracted hair and muscle are, or not). I think that I feel most excited, however, about the structure of collagen and gelatin, and related fibrous proteins of this class. The molecule in these proteins is a triple helix, involving three polypeptide chains that are coiled together in a helical form – resembling three springs that have been made to occupy the same cylindrical surface. This seems to me to be an astounding structure. One nice thing about it is that we have been able to predict its atomic coordinates very closely, and that these coordinates are supported by experimental evidence – the intensities of x-ray reflection. Another very interesting structure is that of the keratin of feather rachis. This consists of sequences of three layers, a pleated-sheet layer of nearly extended polypeptide chains, a layer of our 3.7-residue helix molecules, and another layer of these molecules, staggered with respect to the first. I think that it will turn out that still more complex structures than this exist in nature – and that it will be possible to discover them and to show just what the atomic arrangement is.

  With best regards, I am

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling

• Letter from LP to Fausto G. Fumi, Department of Physics, University of Illinois RE: Returns his manuscript on directed valence and theory of groups and apologizes for the delay. Includes Dr. Verner Schomaker’s and his comments on the paper. [Letter from Fumi to LP January 8, 1951] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (F: Correspondence, 1951), #128.16]
• Letter from Leo Szilard, Institute of Radiobiology and Biophysics, University of Chicago, to LP RE: Asks LP to contact T.W.J. Taylor of the University of the West Indies with regards to Szilard’s visit to Jamaica. [Letter from LP to Szilar December 29, 1950] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Szilard, Leo: Correspondence), #372.1]
• Minutes of Sponsors Meeting of the American Peace Crusade, in Washington D.C. on March 15, 1951. [Filed under LP Peace: (Assorted Peace Groups (Am)), Box #4.009, Folder #9.6]
• Newspaper Clipping “Dr. Pauling to Speak at Science Meeting,” Parkersburg (W. Va.) Sentinel. [Filed under LP Biographical: Political Issues: (Newspaper clippings re: University of Hawaii, 1951.), Box #2.006, Folder #6.13]
• Newspaper Clipping: “2 Regents Commend Sinclair’s Action in Linus Pauling Case,” Honolulu Star-Bulletin. [Filed under LP Biographical: Political Issues: (Newspaper clippings re: University of Hawaii, 1951.), Box #2.006, Folder #6.12]
• Newspaper Clipping: “Famous Chemist to Speak at Science Academy Meet,” Fairmont (W. Va.) West Virginian. [Filed under LP Biographical: Political Issues: (Newspaper clippings re: University of Hawaii, 1951.), Box #2.006, Folder #6.13]