October 10, 1961 - Linus Pauling Day-by-Day

Letter dictated by LP to Richard H. Sullivan, President of Reed College, RE: Tells Sullivan about the petition he and AHP wrote and circulated regarding the struggle for peace. Encloses a copy of the petition and a copy of the press release he issued a few days ago. [Letter from Sullivan to LP September 26, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence (R: Organizational Correspondence, Ra-Ro), #339.4]

Letter from Dr. Joseph F. Ross, University of California Medical Center, to LP, RE: Dr. Ross is very sorry to learn that LP will not deliver the lecture at the American Society of Hematology. He can sympathize with his dilemma. [Letter from LP to Dr. Ross, September 27, 1961] [Letter from Dr. Lowenstein to LP, October 11, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (H: Correspondence, 1961-1962), #168.1]

Letter from Gopal Haldar to LP, RE: Invites LP to participate in the Tagore Centenary Peace Festival which is being held in Calcutta from November 3-12, 1961. The theme of the Festival will be the Poet's message of internationalism, national unity and independence and humanism. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (T: Correspondence, 1956-1963), #411.6]

Letter from Gordin Kaplan to LP, RE: Kaplan has sent to LP the Canadian petitions and the address of the Canadian sponsors. [LP’s letter October 4, 1961] [Reply from LP October 12, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December, 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.2]

Letter from Jean Parker, Special Projects LIFE to Reader RE: Parker is returning the order which Hopkins placed for the booklet as those editors are now working on a different project, on the same topic, which will be published soon. [Handwritten note by LP: “LIFE decided not to take the responsibility”] [Letter from Hopkins to LIFE October 10, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: Materials re: Fallout and Radiation Shelters, and Civil Defense, 1954-1961: Box #7.007, Folder #7.22]

Letter from John C. Keansley to LP, RE: Sends a report describing some of his new ideas. Remarks on different aspects of the paper. [Memo from Mrs. Harris to Mr. Cassyd, October 3, 1961] [Letter from LP to Mr. Keansley, October 17, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (K: Correspondence, 1957-1962), #201.5]

Letter from Juro Iriuchijima, M.D., Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, to LP, RE: Requests a copy of LP’s “anesthesia” paper. Handwritten at the bottom: “sent 17 Oct. 1961". [Filed under LP Correspondence: (I: Correspondence, 1936-1973), #185.22]

Letter from LP to H. C. Longuet-Higgins, Cambridge University. [Letter from Longuet-Higgins to LP No Date] [Filed under LP Books: Unpb8.1]

10 October 1961

Dear Christopher:

I am pleased to have your letter, and I shall without doubt make use of it in preparing the next edition of The Nature of the Chemical Bond.

I did not remember about your prediction of the structures on pages 380 and 381 of my book. If I had remembered, I might have included the reference, although I am not sure that I would have. I did include the 1921 reference on the diborane structure, but not the later ones, except experimental papers.

My reason for not including structures with negative hydrogen atoms in discussing the boranes is that these structures are less stable than others, because of the smaller number of bonds that can be formed if two or the electrons are not involved in bond formation.

You say that every organic chemist knows that the boranes behave as sources of hydride ions, not as acids. I did not know this, and I doubt it. I know about the use of substances such as lithium boro-hydride in organic chemistry.

I shall get a copy of Orgel’s book, and see whether it helps me out. Some of the subjects that you mention, such as variation of thermodynamic stability with the number of d electrons, have, of course, been discussed by methods other than ligand field theory.

I agree that one can scarcely expect to obtain a deep understanding of nature without some degree of sophistication, but I am determined to keep my book unsophisticated.

The meeting in London went off very well. You probably have seen the statement that was approved unanimously, with no dissensions. It is interesting in containing the first significant opposition to resumption of nuclear testing and call for all governments to halt; tests that was issued by an international group, including Russians, after the resumption of tests by the Soviet Union. The participants in the Eighth Pugwash Conference issued a statement reaffirming the Vienna Declaration of the Third Pugwash meeting, which strongly opposed nuclear tests and called for general and complete disarmament. However, although all of the Russian participants approved, five of the American participants refused to sign. The London statement was issued on 16 September, and the Pugwash Statement on the same day. I was not a participant in the Eighth Pugwash Conference, although I participated in the Seventh Pugwash Conference, the week before.

Sincerely,

[Linus Pauling]

Letter from Linda Hopkins to LIFE RE: Hopkins requests a coy of the booklet on fallout shelters and encloses 25 cents. [Letter from Parker to Hopkins October 10, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: Materials re: Fallout and Radiation Shelters, and Civil Defense, 1954-1961: Box #7.007, Folder #7.22]

Letter from Martin A. Shearn, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, to LP. RE: Offers his gratitude for his thought provoking comments at the recent symposium. [Filed under LP Speeches: (Speeches by LP, 1961) Box # 1961s3 Folder #1961s3.6]

Letter from Richard M. Rothman to LP RE: Rothman asks LP if it is true that the Southern hemisphere receives less fallout than the Northern hemisphere. Also, Rothman asks if a calcium supplement should be added to a child’s diet given the risk associated with Strontium-90. [Letter from LP to Rothman October 17, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: Materials re: Strontium-90, 1961-1963: Box #7.014, Folder #14.8]

Letter from Robert R. Smith, to LP. RE: Asks if there is a cure for Mongolism. Has been told that his son is classified as such. [Letter from LP October 16, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence (S: Correspondence, 1961): Box #381 Folder #381.2]

Letter from Roger Hagan, Committee of Correspondence, Harvard University, to LP, RE: Discussed ways to counteract the Teller article written in “Life”, which makes the argument for nuclear weapons. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (C: Correspondence, 1961-1962), #76.1]

Newspaper Clipping: [in Hebrew] Morning Freiheit, October 10, 1961. [Filed under LP Biographical: (LP Scrapbooks, 1961-1965), Box #6.008, Folder #8.121]

Newspaper Clipping: “Atom Scientist Raps City Shelter Proposal.” San Jose Mercury. [Filed under LP Newspaper Clippings: Newspaper Clippings, Magazine and Journal Articles related to LP, 1961: Box #1961n2, Folder #1961n2.34]

Note from Anne, Richard, Martha, Joan, and Steve to LP and AHP, RE: They all just finished watching the news on TV, and are very happy and pleased; they must have a wonderful feeling of vindication. They are also personally encouraged and inspired to think that the future will be governed by reason and humanity. Handwritten at the top: “Answered 10-14.” [Filed under LP Correspondence: (M: Correspondence, 1959-1961), #258.3]

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