November 22, 1934

The Rockefeller Foundation,

49 West Forty-ninth Street,

New York City.

Gentlemen:

For three years (1932-5) my researches have been supported by a grant of ten thousand dollars per year made to the California Institute of Technology by the Rockefeller Foundation. During this time my associates and I have been engaged in developing a combined experimental and theoretical method of attack on difficult structural problems such as arise in biochemistry. This preliminary work (mainly on relatively simple molecules) has progressed very satisfactorily. We now feel, largely because of our discovery of a new and powerful x-ray method, that we are ready to make an intensive attack on the problem of the structure of hemoglobin and chlorophyll by application of these newly-developed methods.

The hemoglobin project, as described in the following pages, will be difficult and laborious. I feel confident, however, that definite and significant results can be obtained regarding the structure of hemin and related compounds, the nature of the bond to globin, and the process of addition of oxygen molecules, within three years. I accordingly make application to you for a grant of ten thousand dollars per year for three years, from July 1, 1935, to June 30, 1938, to be used in support of researches on the structure of hemoglobin and other complex molecules of biological importance.

Although we have now developed our methods to such an extent that they can be applied to complex biochemical problems with confidence, I feel that it would be very short-sighted for us to abandon entirely the fundamental investigations such as we have been carrying on, and I plan to continue these researches, on a smaller scale, with the aid of a research fund provided by the California Institute. The Trustees of the Institute have informed me, through Professor Millikan, that the Institute will provide a research fund of five thousand dollars per year during the three-year period 1935-1938, for support of fundamental researches relating to the hemoglobin investigation.

I wish again to express my belief that the projected unified attack on the problem of the structure of hemoglobin and related substances of biological importance, together with the associated fundamental researches to be supported by the California Institute, will lead to results of great interest.

Respectfully yours,

Linus Pauling

LP:M