1 April 1954

Prof. A. R. Todd, F.R.S.

University Chemical Laboratory

Pembroke Street

Cambridge, England

Dear Alex:

I am very pleased to learn that you have accepted the invitation to come to Washington for the annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences, and to take part in the symposium on nucleic acids. I am looking forward very much to seeing you.

I apologize for not having been able to answer your letter before this. It arrived a day or two after I had left Pasadena, on a two-weeks’ trip, and I have just seen it now, on my return.

As to the subject of your talk, I think that a review of your work on nucleotides and the evidence for the type of chemical linking in nucleic acids that you have gathered would be quite appropriate - perhaps something like the Bakerian Lecture that you are going to give. As to time, perhaps Sterling Hendricks has already written you. He has arranged for papers to be presented by five speakers in addition to you, and the time available is about three hours. I think that you, as the first speaker, might well have somewhat more than the thirty minutes indicated by these figures - perhaps forty minutes. However, if Dr. Hendricks has given you some contradictory information, you probably should follow his advice. The symposium is not supposed to be primarily an argument among specialists in the field - it is, rather, to inform the members of the National Academy of Sciences about recent work in the interesting field of nucleic acids. There will probably be a few questions from the floor, but in general they will be to clarify the subject rather than to raise doubtful points for argument.

I hope that we can get together for a talk about our mutual interests while you are in Washington. Ava Helen is not going to come with me this time. I shall be staying in the Hotel Washington.

With best regards to Alison, I am

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling:W

cc: Dr. Bronk, Dr. Hendricks