10 November 1956

Dear Mamma & Daddy,

Thank you for your letter of the 5^th Nov. & for the cheque, which of shall keep for the present.

The term here ends the 12^th Dec & begins the 9^th Jan, & I could be a few days late, so physically I could be a month.

As to my worth to the Institute, I am fairly sure that John Kendrew or David Green or Ullie Arndt would come for a month on the same terms, and they know more about many things than I. I pay attention to technical details, but he Ullie has built a county spectrometer & two rotating anode x-ray tubes.

Getting stuff done at Caltech briefly involves persuading Holmes, and while I may have a better chance of doing that than most, I do not know that I could manage much.

I am quite willing to come & quite willing to work as hard as I can & do as much as I can. Still, I do not know that this is not a racket, and I do not see that I should have to decide whether it is or not. I think it is up to the Department to decide whether they want me, though I am willing to do what I can.

Otto Bastinsen has just shown up to see Katie Lonsdale. I shall take him home tomorrow. Julie has a cold & sore throat, poor girl.

Much love,

Peter