A personal calendar that Pauling maintained throughout his working life is also archived at the Oregon State University library. The January 11, 1951 entry of Pauling's calendar refers to a letter that was received by Pauling on that date from Battelle's Executive Director, Clyde Williams. During this precise time period, Williams' organization was contracted by Wright Patterson Air Force Base to conduct scientific analysis on the UFO phenomenon in support of the Air Force's Project Grudge (later Project Blue Book.)

Incredibly, Williams (who was Battelle's Director at the time of the UFO crash at Roswell) indicates in the letter that he wanted to meet with Pauling (whose interest in UFOs was know at that time) because he "would like an opportunity to visit with an old friend." Williams wanted to tap Pauling's needed expertise about the "principles of determining the structure of intermetallic compounds." Dr. Pauling's genius apparently extended to exotic metals. Three years after the Battelle letter requesting Pauling's analysis of intermetallic structures was received, Dr. Pauling would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The prize was awarded for his "research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application in the elucidation of complex substances." In fact by the 1950s, Pauling was thought to be the premier materials chemist in the entire world.

Pauling's expertise in "intermetallics" may have profound implications. Intermetallics constitute a then-novel (and highly unusual) class of materials. They are mostly compounds of metals whose crystal structures are different from those of constituent metals. The best known representatives of intermetallics are the shape memory alloys (SMA's.) Shape memory metal was reported as a "morphing material" found at the reported UFO crash at Roswell in 1947. The best known of these shape-recovery materials is Nitinol. Nitinol has been historically traced by this author as having its origins in Battelle studies that were contracted by Wright Patterson AFB, where the crash material was reportedly flown to. These studies commenced immediately following the Roswell crash. See archived articles on the UFO Iconoclasts website that detail these findings.

Pauling was at that time one of our nation's only experts on X-Ray crystallography. He had also developed groundbreaking research in "quantum chemistry" - a branch of theoretical chemistry which straddles the border between chemistry and physics. It is especially useful in determining unknown material and in characterizing the phases of matter. It is clear from the Oregon State University archives of Pauling's work that Pauling had a prior association with Battelle.

As an "old friend" of its Executive Director, Pauling likely had ties to Battelle extending back to the 1940s. His work in the examination of crystalline structures and chemical technical analysis would have been very valuable in studing intermetallics such as shape recovery metals. Pauling's strong professional interest in flying saucers makes this an intriguing -and perhaps telling- connection to the UFO debris found at Roswell.

Buried within the pages of Pauling's personal copy of the 1966 bestseller Flying Saucers:Serious Business (also archived at the Oregon State University library) is a copy of a letter from Pauling to the President of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology that concerns UFO study. This letter was found folded into the section of Frank Edwards' book that mentions the UFO crash at Roswell and includes the statement, "There are such difficult cases as the rancher near Roswell, New Mexico..."

THE LINUS PAULING LEGACY

Linus Pauling -one of the most brilliant scientists in all history- was accomplished in ways that we may never fully realize. Pauling is most well known for his work in Vitamin C nutrition and improved human health. But perhaps it is his work on UFOs and exotic metals - and his subsequent promotion of global and interplanetary peace- that may well prove to be his greatest legacy.

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