Linus Pauling (1901-1994), a 1922 OSU graduate and the only recipient of two unshared Nobel Prizes, (Chemistry, 1954; Peace, 1962) undertook a wide range of studies during his seventy-year career as a scientist, humanitarian and peace activist. The collection contains all of Pauling's personal and scientific papers, research materials, correspondence, photographs, awards, and memorabilia. Not only does the Pauling archive reflect Linus Pauling's long and varied scientific career, the presence of Ava Helen Pauling's (1903-1981) papers also indicates their mutual devotion to world peace and to each other. The list below emphasizes anti-nuclear work.
Series 12: Peace is the primary series containing nuclear history, but each series has nuclear history content. The following series descriptions focus on the presence of nuclear history in the collection. Titles are linked to the static finding aid.
Full finding aid for Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers.
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Subseries 1: Pugwash Conferences
The Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs began as a gathering of scientists and world leaders coming together to solve world problems in a transdisciplinary way. Pauling was invited to the first Pugwash Conference in July 1957, but not able to attend. This series includes the documents comprising required background reading for Pugwash participants, as well as the documents, transcripts, and proceedings generated by the meetings themselves. It also includes correspondence with Pauling and other participants, as well as draft statements, notes, and press releases. A long (though not complete) run of the Pugwash Newsletter is also present.
Subseries 2: Other Peace Conferences
This series includes documents related to Pauling's participation in conferences such as the Oslo Conference Against the Spread of Nuclear Weapons (1961), Carnegie Seminars for International Peace (1959-1963), and many others worldwide between 1961-1990.
Subseries 3: Early Control of Atomic Energy
Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, 1946-1948
Within the Peace series of the Pauling Papers lies an important collection for studying the responses of scientists and the public to the atomic bomb and its potential for destruction. The Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists was founded by Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard in 1946, and was comprised of eight scientists, including Linus Pauling. The Committee's purpose was to educate the public on the dangers of nuclear warfare, while also promoting peaceful use of atomic energy and enabling peace in the world.
This incredibly rich collection within the Pauling Papers contains public relations materials, financial records, internal committee files, and, most importantly, letters from everyday Americans responding to Einstein's appeal for funds. This correspondence demonstrates one angle of the public response to the possibility of nuclear war; writers often poignantly detail their personal, moral, or religious reasons for contributing funds to this effort. The ECAS also corresponded with social and political organizations, such as the United World Federalists and the League of Women Voters. Also included in the correspondence are materials to and from the National Committee on Atomic Information, showing the tense relationship between the two organizations. Throughout these 15 boxes are important documents of the early period of atomic energy in the United States and beyond, including pamphlets, brochures, reprints, advertisements, original typescripts, newspaper clippings, photographs, sheet music, and more. Much of this series has been digitized and transcribed letters are available in our digital project: Dear Professor Einstein: The Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists in Post-War America.
This subseries also contains rare materials from other organizations and agencies active in the early response to the potential of atomic energy and nuclear war. These include the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 1947-1984, the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, 1946-1952, the United States Atomic Energy Commission, 1946-1964, and the National Committee on Atomic Information, 1946-1947. Particularly rare are Pauling's pre-publication copies of the Smyth Report, also known as A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes, 1945. See this blog post for more on these copies.
This series has a concentration of materials from SANE in the late 1950s to mid 1960s, with correspondence, meeting minutes, publications, and newsletters included. Materials from the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs group include correspondence, newsletters, and promotional materials. The rest of the series is made up of correspondence, newsletters, and other publications from a huge variety of peace activism groups active from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s. Pauling's specific link to activism by scientists is well represented in this series, which includes groups such as the Society for Social Responsibility in Science, the World Federation of Scientific Workers, and the Congress of Scientists on Survival. A special highlight of this series is the folder from the Association of Pasadena Scientists from 1945-1946, which like the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists was an early response group founded by scientists to promote world peace.
Subseries 5: Nuclear Bomb Test Proliferation Petitions 
This very important series includes correspondence, notes, typescripts, and other materials related to the Pauling's multiple worldwide petitions to stop nuclear bomb testing. These include An Appeal by Scientists to the Governments and People of the World, begun by Pauling, Barry Commoner, and Edward Condon in 1957, and submitted to the United Nations in June of that year with over 2,000 signatures from scientists worldwide. After this petition was submitted, Ava Helen and Linus expanded the effort, which resulted in over 9,000 signatures by the end of 1958. The petition was again submitted to the United Nations; this action won Linus Pauling the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. The bound volumes of this petition are included in this series. Another petition, The Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons of 1961, is also represented.
Subseries 6: Other Peace Activism
This series includes materials on Pauling's lawsuits against the federal government over nuclear bomb testing and radioactive fallout, from 1957-1964. The Paulings were involved with peace efforts for decades and this series includes documents related to multiple appeals, open letters, statements, and declarations they were involved in. Materials cover antinuclear efforts such as the creation of nuclear free zones, banning space weapons, international cooperation; issues such world government, overpopulation, immigration, McCarthyism, far-right extremism, and global warming; and a strong section on Vietnam War peace activism. Additionally, this series includes folders of materials on international diplomacy and human rights categorized by country, which cover many conflicts and human rights violations worldwide between 1946-1992.
Subseries 7: Debate over Fallout and and Nuclear Contamination
This series is made up of a wide range of material types including articles, correspondence, clippings, pamphlets, booklets, and typescripts dealing with nuclear fallout, radiation hazards, fallout shelters, civil defense efforts, Strontium-90, biological effects of radiation, nuclear testing, nuclear energy, and nuclear waste. Of particular note in this series is correspondence in the Strontium-90 boxes from mothers to Linus Pauling asking him about radioactive fallout in dietary pathways, especially milk.
Subseries 8: Other Peace Materials
This series is an assortment of articles, typescripts, pamphlets, and more covering issues such as antinuclear activities, nuclear disarmament, nuclear testing, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and world government. Of particular interest are plays, poems, and even a cantata (dedicated to Linus Pauling) on peace. A rare 1946 publication, One World or None: A Report to the Public on the Full Meaning of the Atomic Bomb is present, alsong with isolated issues of publications such as I. F. Stone's Weekly and Prevent World War III.
Series 1: Correspondence is comprised of letters received by Linus Pauling as well as carbon copies of letters sent by Pauling. The correspondence section as a whole has been arranged alphabetically and sub-sorted chronologically. Within this broader schema, the correspondence section is further subdivided into three additional classifications: those individuals who made a prominent impact on either the history of twentieth-century science or on Pauling's life and work, have received their own entries under the heading Individual Correspondence. Likewise, correspondence with important organizations and institutions has been filed under the heading Organizational Correspondence. Bulk mailings and more secondary materials have been grouped into General Correspondence files.
Most correspondence with notable peace activists such as Bertrand Russell and Albert Schweitzer is present in this series. Pauling's peace activities are present in his correspondence with President John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, Dag Hammarskjold, and many other notable figures. Pauling's exchanges with peace organizations such as the Albert Einstein Peace Prize Foundation are also in this series.
Series 2: Publications mainly consists of original reprints of Linus Pauling's 1,100+ publications. Included in the Pauling Publications series are bibliographic citations for all of his scientific papers, books, popular articles, printed letters to the editor, forewords, introductions and support notices. Many of his publications between 1946-1992 deal with peace and anti-nuclear topics.
Series 3: Manuscripts and Typescripts of Articles features hundreds of manuscripts and typescripts of articles -- many of which went unpublished -- that were written or co-written by Linus Pauling. Also included is correspondence relevant to the development and publication of these articles. In many instances, abstracts, galley proofs, figures, research notes and other background materials have been interfiled where appropriate. Many of Pauling's articles (including unpublished ones) between 1946-1992 deal with peace and anti-nuclear issues.
Series 4: Manuscripts and Typescripts of Speeches is largely composed of manuscripts and typescripts of speeches written and delivered by Linus Pauling. Also included is correspondence relevant to the writing, delivery and/or publication of these speeches. Further materials illustrating the logistics of Pauling's travel to the location of a speech's delivery, including correspondence, itineraries and other notes, are included as well. Pauling's speeches on the atomic bomb begin to increase in 1949; until 1990 he was speaking on these topics. Speeches on peace and anti-nuclear efforts were given for many different types of organizations, societies, and groups.
Series 5: Manuscripts and Typescripts of Books includes manuscripts, typescripts and galley proofs of books written or co-written by Linus Pauling. Also included is correspondence relevant to the evolution and printing of Pauling's thirteen published books. In many instances, figures, artwork, research notes, publication contracts (both domestic and foreign), internal and external reviews and other background materials provide a fuller picture of the processes that informed each of Pauling's book projects. A large portion of material is included concerning the handful of books that Pauling initiated but did not complete or publish. Manuscripts for No More War!, Fighting for Peace and Freedom (unpublished), the World Encyclopedia of Peace, and A Lifelong Quest for Peace: A Dialogue are present.
Series 6: Research Notebooks feature Linus Pauling's forty-seven original research notebooks cataloged in great detail, on the item level, typically spanning over one-hundred pages per container. The notebooks themselves span the years 1919 to 1994 and include many of Pauling's laboratory calculations and experimental data, as well as numerous scientific conclusions, ideas for further research and some biographical musings. In addition, item-level listings of the papers, notes and ephemera that Pauling often interfiled into his laboratory notebooks can be found at the end of each applicable container listing. Notes, correspondence, and other materials regarding the peace movement and anti-nuclear efforts are throughout notebooks after about 1948 and can be located by Control-F keyword searching in the page.
Series 7: Newspaper Clippings, Magazine, and Journal Articles contains over 3,000 newspaper clippings, magazine articles, journal articles, typescripts and press releases either focusing upon or mentioning Linus Pauling. The sheer volume of material in this section, both foreign and domestic, illustrates the degree to which Pauling was very much a public figure -- along with Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer, among the most recognizable scientists of the twentieth century. Keywords peace and nuclear reveal hundreds of clippings of press coverage from the Pauling's peace work.
Series 8: Honors and Awards catalogs the multitude of medals, citations, diplomas and other recognitions awarded to Linus Pauling. Included are the nearly fifty honorary doctorates received by Pauling during his lifetime. Prominent items include Pauling's two Nobel medals, the Lenin Peace Prize medal, the M.V. Lomonosov medal and the National Medal of Science. In addition, correspondence and other background materials related to the awarding of specific honors have been interfiled in tandem with the actual physical awards. Many peace awards and certificates are included in the series, including some honoring both Paulings.
Series 9: Photographs and Images is comprised of over 5,500 photographs, drawings and other images of Linus Pauling, his family and his colleagues. Historic images of both Linus and Ava Helen's extended family are available in this section, as are both professional and candid portraits of the Pauling family throughout the twentieth century. Many photographs of the Paulings' peace activism worldwide are included in this series, including protests, processions, conferences, and speeches in places such as Hiroshima, Washington, D. C., and Gabon, where they visited Albert Schweitzer's mission hospital. Use control-F tp search in page for peace and nuclear.
Series 10: Audio/Visual consists of a variety of audio/visual materials related to Linus and Ava Helen Pauling and their work in science and peace. Audiocassette tapes, vinyl records, videotapes, Dictaphone belts, audio tape reels and film reels are included. The content of these various recordings include commencement lectures, public speeches, radio appearances and taped interviews with both Ava Helen and Linus. In addition, Special Collections holds the original film reels used in producing the 1977 NOVA documentary, "Linus Pauling, Crusading Scientist." Many of the items described in this series have been digitized and are available for patron use upon request. Footage of the Paulings' peace work is throughout, along with materials about atomic energy and nuclear testing. Use Control-F to search keywords peace, atomic, nuclear.
Series 11: Science has been divided into fifteen thematic sub-sections, which, when taken as a whole, reflect the extraordinary breadth of Linus Pauling's scientific biography. Boxes in the Science section typically hold manuscripts, research notes, correspondence, figures, experimental data, non-Pauling reprints and other scientific research materials. This series holds fewer documents on Pauling's peace or anti-nuclear efforts. Pauling's scientific work on quantum mechanics and electron theory are found in Series 11, as well as his work on nucleic acids and the structure of atomic nuclei.
Series 13: Biographical is arranged both according to subject and format and document a number of themes from Linus Pauling's remarkable, complex life. An eclectic array of manuscript and typescript materials, correspondence, notebooks, newspaper clippings, government documents, legal documents, tax documents and receipts have been sorted into sub-sections labeled Academia, Political Issues, Legal, Business & Financial, and Personal Materials & Family Correspondence. In addition, over 2,700 pages of loose-leaf scrapbooks compiled by the Paulings have been cataloged on the item level and reside in the Biographical section. Materials about peace and anti-nuclear activism are spread throughout, and include interviews, clippings, and scrapbooks.
Series 14: Travel documents the incredible breadth of Linus and Ava Helen's travel through its collection of itineraries, transit and hotel receipts, maps, and assorted background materials. A very substantial minority of the Paulings' time was spent traveling around the world to participate in conferences, give speeches and attend meetings. Over the course of their fifty-eight year marriage, the Paulings visited every continent, save Antarctica, and enjoyed lengthy residential stays in Europe, trips to the Soviet Union and communist China, and extended tours of Australia and New Zealand. Travel documents related to their peace and anti-nuclear activism are found in this series.
Series 15: Ava Helen Pauling relates to the life and work of Ava Helen Pauling. Materials include writings by Ava Helen Pauling on issues of peace, civil liberties and women's rights. The section also contains documentation of Ava Helen's extensive work with prominent peace groups including the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women Strike for Peace, and includes significant correspondence, meeting minutes, and publications chronicling these activities.
Series 16: Personal Safe details the four drawers of Linus Pauling's personal safe, which contained an astonishingly rich and diverse collection of items which yield a much fuller portrait of Pauling's life and activities. Drawers 2 and 3 contained a number of items that Pauling had deemed to be either sensitive or important, including communications with world figures, letters from the Bomb Test Petition to the United Nations, materials related to the early days of the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, and documents from the Oslo Conference on Peace.
Series 17: Pauling Personal Library includes pver 4000 volumes that form the personal library of Linus and Ava Helen Pauling. Books in the Personal Library are illustrative of the Paulings' many interests -- from pure science to sociological surveys to detective stories to crossword puzzles. This series holds the most significant concentration of material on the peace movement in SCARC collections. Ava Helen's activism results in a special emphasis on a women and the peace movement, especially periodicals from peace organizations.
