The Wilkins to Crick Letters
Wilkins, Maurice H. F. Letter from Maurice Wilkins to Francis Crick. Letter
(correspondence).
On train Innsbruck-Zurich
My dear Francis,
First let me tell you why I am here. I am doing a combined holiday and work
trip again. I am going to see Signer the n.a. man in Bern and some of Frey
Wyssling's people in Zurich. But the real trip was holiday. First to Munich to
pick up a young friend of mine and see the artists beer cellars then to Innsbruck
and Bolzano to see Italy but it is only half Italian and so we took a bus down to
Lake Garda and stayed at the Gordone Riviera and walked under all the
oranges on the trees in the streets and such like. Then a wonderful day skiing at
Selva Wolkestein in the Dolomite and back to Innsbruck. Now I am on
business [?] to visit the people in Switzerland.
But unfortunately I have to pay for almost all this trip by myself which is
shocking and unusual for me but already I have another trip planned on the
MRC (actually they didn't pay for my other trip but Unesco is other people). I
have got much better X-ray pictures of the sperm squid which show very nicely
a whole source [?] of helical layer lines and one inter micelle spacing
[diagram]. These spots will not overlapp [?] when a disoriented specimen is
used and I want to do it on living sperm in glass tubes. I believe your friend in
Rome offered me use of an X-ray tube (I am sure he did) and what I want you
to tell me is his address and name so I can confirm this and can go to Naples
(you bet)
Thank you very much for the invitation but as I have just got back I would like
to stay in town this weekend. Possibly I could come for the next Hardy Club
and collect the sperm and go by train to Rome and X ray them. They live for
days and it is all very practicable. I don't know of any X ray set in Naples but
will inquire there too but am very doubtful. I will bring my own camera and
any ordinary tube will do. Also I will try living spermatophore in glass for
orientation. No H2 and humidity fuss.
I did the transform of the micelle of N.a. projected on a plane at less than to the
axis and have done more on the layer line intensities also repeated Oster and
Riley on the long distances on wet gels oriented. I have found several of your
suggestions very valuable but am fairly convinced for many reasons [?] the
phosphates must be on the outside. There is just one part of the picture that still
puzzles me but if helices are right we must hit on the explanation soon. I am
really getting down to the job myself but haven't done anything on models and
chemistry as I think the picture holds a key not yet recognized which will then
more or less directly give us the model. I now take my own X ray pictures and
have made new cameras (hence better sperm pictures). But I believe as you that
the key to w. protein lies in the crystalline picture. The exact crystallinity is of
interest in that it gives us definitely the general micelle arrangement if you
follow me. Franklin barks often but doesn't succeed in biting me. Since I
reorganized my time so that I can concentrate on the job, she no longer gets
under my skin. I was in a bad way about it all when I last saw you.
When I saw Jim last before Christmas he said you people couldn't build a
model along your lines if that is so it simplifies things abit anyway I am pretty
certain the phosphates are on the outside. I won't start making any references to
the 'business' between you people and us over n.a. but look forward to
discussing all our latest ideas and results with you again. Why don't you come
and have lunch with me when you are next in town?
About Naples we must also separate heads and tails (electrophacteraly?) and
Geoffrey is in interested in isolating n.p. I think it could all be done in 2-3
weeks and be very worthwhile and cost MRC very little. The sperm is the only
way I know of getting neat oriented live n.p. Also I took a nice picture of living
rat thymus in a glass tube and think there is a whole new field there working
with liquid cameras and monoch [?] (Franklins pets) to show the pictures of
living nuclei or whole cells with negligible cytoplasm are the same as
disoriented n.p. as isolated by biochemicals [?]. Thus we may be able to prove
the helical idea for ordinary cells as well as special low water content cells such
as sperm. But apart from little excursions of a day or so this must wait.
Did you hear I have got a Rco invitation? isn't it grand! In some ways I feel I
am a very lucky fellow. And there I hope to collect sperm bundles which
contain separate to chromosomes and do x ray pictures of each of the 2
chromosomes in the cell spiralised [?] and unspiralised [?] etc. This is rather
gilding the lily but may be very useful in a year or 2's time to link the X rays
business more with real chromosomes. I hope I don't go to the devil with all
these trips but so far I think they are well worthwhile from the work standpoint.
Give my nicest regards to Odile and tell her I thought of her while I looked at
the oranges in Italy.
I hope Bragg neither barks nor bites and your unit is filled with happiness. If
these hopes seem foolishly extravagant please forgive me.
Give my regards to John and tell him I wrote a series of letters to Chargaff.
Yours M.
Have you a better flat for me?
Wilkins, Maurice H. F. Letter from Maurice Wilkins to Francis Crick. Letter
(correspondence).
Thurs.
My dear Francis,
Thank you for your shoal of daily letters! I meant to ring you tonight and then
realized you had no phone since moving. I will be up on Sat afternoon Geoffrey
is staying behind as he has some things which have to be finished before we go
to Brussels. It is very nice of you to offer to put him up. L.H. is interested in
not. pol and feels Boges mightn't be much use so maybe that is the best line.
I should have replied before but was feeling lousy and thought I might be too
depressing and should keep away from humanity (I feel allright [sic] today).
Rosie's colloquium made me a bit sicker. God knows what will become of all
this business. They talked for 1 3/4 hours non stop and she effectively refused
to answer questions. They had a unit cell big enough to sit in (but nothing in it).
It would be nice to see the Markhams. He is certainly good company and I
remember her as a nice person.
Its very nice of you to get Pauling paper and I will tell you all I can remember
and scribble down from Rosie.
I would like to speak to Broad and get a blue print of an n.a. from him I will
telephone before this gets to you. Tried telephoning tonight and they got all diff
numbers and ended up with poor Ingram who very nicely offered to bring you a
message. Sorry I have been so deplorably slow in replying I hope this hasn't
been very much of a nuisance.
Special regards to Odile.
M.
Wilkins, Maurice H. F. Letter from Maurice Wilkins to Francis Crick. Letter
(correspondence)
Sat.
My dear Francis,
Thank you for your letter on the polypeptides.
I think you will be interested to know that our dark lady leaves us next week
and much of the 3 dimensional data is already in our hands. I am now
reasonably clear of other committments [sic] and have started up a general
offensive on Nature's secret stronghold on all fronts: models, theoretical
chemistry, and interpretation of data [ . . . ]line and comparative. At last the
decks are clear and we can put all hands to the pumps!
It won't be long now.
Regards to all
yours ever
M.
P.S. may be in Cambridge next week.
Wilkins, Maurice H. F. Letter from Maurice Wilkins to Francis Crick. Letter
(correspondence)
Fri
My dear Francis,
So glad to hear you are coming up I would be very glad if you and Odile could
come to dinner on Sat but there are snags as you know.
(a) To avoid exhausting Odile with shop could you come to the lab on Sat
afternoon? And if you brought some nice young woman who has no interest in
protein or nucleic acid (e.g. Patsy might like to take the risk) with you and
Odile to dinner this might prevent our degenerating into shop. The best
safeguard is a really attractive young woman and this is why Odile does not
quite fit the boat one who is unattached or at least unaccompanied
by her husband. Well so much for the evening.
(b) about staying the night I would be positively delighted but am a bit disabled
this weekend as I am in such a state of nervous exhaustion that I intend not
waking up at all Sunday which with the geometry of my flat makes visitors
rather awkward. (I know this sounds awfully mean)
We have found apparently that d.n.a (nucleic acid) does an alpha beta keratin
type of transition and are hot on the trail hot is the word and working till we
drop. I can still stand up most of the time but cannot answer for what state I
will be in on Saturday, but hope to recover a bit on Sunday.
We have x rays, brief, u.v. deiboisan [?], and much properties evidence already
but dont [sic] mention it yet to anyone please. We hope for e.m. and i.r.
evidence too.
love to Odile, down with science,
M.
Franklin, Rosalind, and Raymond Gosling. [Satirical note announcing the death of the
DNA helix]. Notes. Obituary
It is with great regret that we have to announce the death, on Friday 18th July
1952 of D.N.A. Helix (crystalline)
Death followed a protracted illness which an intensive course of besselised
injections had failed to relieve.
A memorial service will be held next Monday or Tuesday.
It is hoped that Dr. M.H.F. Wilkins will speak in memory of the late helix
R.E. Franklin
R Gosling
Letter from James D. Watson to Francis and Odile Crick
Monday Aug 11
Dear Francis and Odile
I am now in the Italian Alps in a small village named Carregio which is located
above Sondrio [?] at an elevation of 1600 meters. I am staying in a small hotel
with a friend of mine from Milano who is temporarily visiting his parents who
are also staying here. I find the mountains very relaxing after my sightseeing
and the Biochemical and Phage meetings. The food is good and somewhat
plentiful considering that room and board amounts to only 16.00 pounds per
day. There are two other small hotels in the village largely filled with Milanese
as a whole they are rather decorative, in fact several are very decorative and at
intervals I regret that I learned so little Italian during my stay in Napoli. I am
thus spending most of my time when not climbing in a intensive study of
Hugo's Italian made easy in 3 monthes [sic]. Since I have only a month left in
Italy, I must work very hard.
Fortunately everyone is very helpful, and I am beginning to understand a few
phrases in addition to Quarto Costa.
The mountains themselves are quite magnificent and said to be among the most
difficult to climb. So far I have largely taken very short climbs but I hope to be
on some glaciers in several days. Considering my degenerate condition in
Cambridge, I feel very healthy and do not find a climb of 1000 meters at all
strenous [sic]. I tho' believe that I should be in good shape to survive another
Cambridge year of ingrown gossip
My visit to Austria was quite pleasant as Salzburg is very lovely. Paris I found
less enchanting possibly because I was doing rapid alterations between my
mother and some biochemical friends from the states. As a wide [?] I avoided
the biochemists very well since I managed not to meet any in addition to some
personal friends from the states.
The phage meeting at Rogenset [?] was good but crowded. Considering my
absence from the work, I would have enjoyed a two week meeting. Very
interesting results but no great discoveries beyond those learned at Paris in
April. The Abbey itself is very lovely, very much like a Cambridge college and
thus quite a proper atmosphere for serious talk unlike Paris with its numerous
distractions. Lwoff managed to keep the meeting on a very cultured level by
supplying us with organ, violin, and piano recitals in the evenings. The [sic]
was also a garden party at the Baron de Rothchild's [?] house which allowed us
to appreciate Rubens while eating smoked salmon and drinking Champane [sic]
As a whole I'm afraid I created the only non serious note by wearing shorts and
my shirt outside on all occasions. Despite my recent haircut most of my friends
thought my hair very long and as a practical joke succeeded in putting a large
amount of Viscount's perfumed (highly!) brilliantine in my hair and thus as a
Latin, I went to the garden party.
Linus Pauling and his wife visited the Abbey one afternoon and for a short
while I talked with them. From Mrs Paulings "small talk" I gather that Peter has
not yet calmed down and so we shall not have another quiet youth like green
in our midsts [sic]. I reccomended [sic] to his mother a very small sum of
money for him to live on and in this way may cause a tendency for the
puritanical life which I am now escaping from.
I have heard a little of Freddies Caltech visit. Apparently he spent much of his
time libelling [sic] me by saying that I have no respect for authority and the
wisdom of experience -- in fact no respect for Freddies higher qualities
However fortunately no one ever takes Freddie seriously.
I will stay here till around the 21st when I will make a short trip to Very [?] to
see the Delbrucks before they return to the states. I will then probably return to
the Mountains near Locarno to stay with the Ephrussi (a French geneticist and
his American wife) until it is time to go to Palanga. Since I will pass through
Sion I could look Pepi up but since I know neither her 1st or last name I will
have difficulty. If you know her address could you write me c/o Bentain
[Via Broggi 23 Milano (until Aug 20th) and until August 26 in care of J.J.
Weigle Dept of Physics genova (the University of)
I plan to return to Cambridge between the 10th and 15th of Sept. I will live in
Clave in the Memorial Court which is very easy to height-climb I hope I can
survive the food, if not I shall have take advantage of my returned income to
occassionally [sic] have scientific talks at the Pasteur with Lwoff
Jim