The Barbara McClintock Papers

Title:

Letter from Barbara McClintock to Curt and Evelyn Stern

Description:

McClintock apologized for not writing to the Sterns sooner and related her general impressions of the situation in Germany. In 1933, it was McClintock's intent to start her Guggenheim Fellowship at Stern's lab at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Biology in Dahlem, but after Hitler's rise to power, Stern-then in the United States-never returned to Germany.

Item is handwritten.

Number of Image Pages:

2 (142,735 Bytes)

Date Supplied:

11 December 1934?

Creator:

McClintock, Barbara

Recipient:

Stern, Curt

Stern, Evelyn

Source:

Original Repository: American Philosophical Society. Library. Curt Stern Papers

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of the Curt Stern Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Exhibit Category:

From Ithaca to Berlin and Back Again, 1931-1935

Relation:

Letter from Barbara McClintock to Curt Stern (March 13, 1933)

Letter from Barbara McClintock to Curt Stern (April 19, 1933)

Letter from Barbara McClintock to Curt Stern (August 12, 1933)

Letter from Barbara McClintock to Curt and Evelyn Stern (March 4, 1934)

Box Number: 3

Folder Number: 3

Unique Identifier:

LLBBMK

Document Type:

Letters (correspondence)

Language:

English

Format:

application/pdf

image/tif

Physical Condition:

Good

Transcript:

Dec. 11 -- [in different handwriting, (1934?)]

Dear Evelyn and Curt --

Don't drop over in a faint because you are, after all these years, getting a letter from me. My intentions have been the best, but God knows, it takes more than intentions!

Nebel told me you are expecting an F1 in the near future. I was delighted to hear this and hope all goes well. Will you need any clothes pins? I shall be glad to send some on.

My experiences in Germany were not too happy. I was very discouraged when I returned and did not want to do much talking about it. I could'nt [sic] have picked a worse time. The general morale of the scientific worker was anything but encouraging: there were almost no students from other countries. The political situation and its devastating results were

[END PAGE ONE]

[BEGIN PAGE TWO]

too prominent. Goldschmidt was fine to me. I could'nt [sic] have asked for anyone to be more decent. Besides the general situation my thyroid started becoming over active which made me physically very uncomfortable. However, after going to Freiburg I recovered to some extent. All in all, I wont [sic] register this period as too much of a success although I gained considerably in "contacts". (This is Darlington's pet phrase; to be said with a meaningful smile). Which reminds me that I saw Darlington in England. He was quite as ever. Our personal animosities were completely forgotten so that we had a swell time. He wrote me recently that he had been in Russia. He seemed to be much impressed with the possibilities there and even thinks of spending more time there. He offered to give me the necessary "inside dope" in case I should be considering rushing over there in the immediate future. Miss Pellew wanted me to send regards to Curt. She was as hospitable as ever.

This is just a quick gabby letter. I hope it won't have too much ice to break -- Just remember "I ment [sic] well" (and all that the American means by this phrase -- Eine Ausrede.

Sincerely and good luck

Barb.

Metadata Last Modified Date:

2006-09-06

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