Maria Goeppert Mayer Papers, 1906-1996 (bulk 1930-1972) (MSS 20)

Series 1) CORRESPONDENCE: Maria Mayer's papers contain a relative abundance of correspondence, much in German, with family members, professional colleagues, and admirers. Within the subseries, folders are arranged in chronological order.

Arranged in four subseries: A) General Correspondence, B) Edward Teller Correspondence, C) Undated Correspondence and D) Family Correspondence.

A) General Correspondence: Incoming and outgoing correspondence in English and German, arranged chronologically, primarily with scientific colleagues and organizations. The German correspondence may include notes in English on the contents of the letter. Also contained in the correspondence are letters from Mayer's dissertation advisor, Max Born, who emigrated to England before World War II. Most of his letters are of a personal nature, discussing the impending war with Germany, life in besieged England, and the affairs of mutual friends and colleagues.

B) Edward Teller Correspondence: The Teller letters were probably written in the period 1939-1971 by Dr. Edward Teller, physicist, and "Father of the H-Bomb." Most of the letters are on plain paper, handwritten, and signed "Edward". A few are typed on letterhead from the University of Chicago, University of California, Berkeley, and a Santa Fe Post Office Box (Los Alamos). One letter was written in German, while the remaining letters are in English, and for the most part appear to have been written from hotel rooms or during transit on planes or trains.

The letters were written against a background of national and international events: the outbreak of World War II in Europe in 1939; the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into the War; the dropping of atom bombs on Japan in 1945; the political situation in the post war United States; the re-election of President Truman in 1948; the Klaus Fuchs exposure in 1950; the Soviet take-over of Hungary; the United States entry into the Korean War in 1950; and the investigation of J. Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project.

From this historical background, it is possible to assign tentative year dates to many of the letters. In a very few cases, a month has been added when a family event, for example a birth or death, has been mentioned. When the letters were received from the donor there was no apparent organization. They have now been organized into 17 folders by date. The general nature of these letters is purely personal. Although there are occasional references to particular physics problems in which Teller or Mayer was engaged, there are no detailed discussions of a scientific nature.

There are innumerable references to mutual friends and physicists, their locations and activities. Occasionally, Teller mentions his wife Mici and his children Paul, Susan, and Wendy. Teller speaks about his family in Hungary. He discusses the condition of postwar Germany and of what might be done to get surviving scientists out and to the United States. He speaks of his great love for the Hungarian language and for Hungarian poetry and of his regret that Maria does not know that language. He takes note of place as well as time, speaking of walking by the Danube River, the beauty of New Mexico, and the climate of California. The great strength of the letters is the completely open way in which Teller writes about his hopes, fears, disappointments, and rages, his dissatisfaction with himself, his work habits, and his frequently stormy relations with fellow scientists. This is particularly true of the period 1946 when he was trying to choose between remaining at Los Alamos, returning to the University of Chicago, or accepting an offer from the University of California. It is also true of a later period, 1950, when the issue of the loyalty oath in California caused him to refuse a position as professor at the University. He expressed himself vigorously on this issue. Finally, there are no apparent direct references to his testimony before the Atomic Energy Committee in their enquiry into J. Robert Oppenheimer.

C) Undated Correspondence: Incoming correspondence in English and German from friends and colleagues, arranged alphabetically by surname.

D) Family Correspondence: Incoming and outgoing correspondence in German between Maria Mayer and family members, particularly her mother, Maria Wolff.

Series 2) REPRINTS, WRITINGS, AND LECTURES. Arranged in three series: A) Reprints, B) Writings and Lectures and C) Writings by Other Authors.

A) Reprints: Reprints in English and German of physics papers written by Maria Mayer from 1925-1965, arranged chronologically.

B) Writings and Lectures: Notes, drafts, reviews, illustrations and correspondence for scientific papers by Mayer; notes and drafts for public talks, including her 1963 Nobel lecture, "The Shell Model;" a biography of Hans Jensen; an obituary for Max Born; a review of Physics in My Generation by Max Born; and a list of physics topics found in Mayer's copy of Dynamische Gittertheorie der Kristalle. Arranged chronologically.

C) Writings by Other Authors: Reprints of "Polarization of High Energy Protons Scattered by Nuclei," 1954 and "Uber die Anwendung der statistischen methode auf die probleme des Atombaues," undated, by Enrico Fermi; and an undated list of publications by Hans Suess.

Series 3) RESEARCH NOTEBOOKS AND CLASS LECTURES. Arranged in two subseries: A) Notebooks and B) Research Subjects.

A) Notebooks: Ten notebooks with scientific calculations, notes and graphs; and one notebook of poetry written in German. Most of the notebooks are untitled and undated, but include section headings by topic. The notebooks were numbered and removed from three-ring binders during processing.

B) Research Subjects: Calculations, notes, figures, and graphs for physics topics, arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Series 4) TEACHING MATERIALS. Arranged in two subseries: A) University of Chicago and B) UC San Diego.

A) University of Chicago and B) UC San Diego: Lecture notes, course outlines, problem sets and examination questions for physics courses taught by Mayer and by Keith Brueckner. The UC San Diego subseries also includes questions for the Department of Physics candidacy examination and correspondence and notes regarding the proposed undergraduate physics and chemistry curriculum.

Series 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS: Biographical materials are alphabetized by subject and include a subseries of photographs in chronological order. Biographical documents include autobiographies; biographical notes; birth, marriage and death certificates; obituaries; a charcoal portrait of Maria and Joseph Mayer; a genealogical chart; and a report to the UC Regents on UC San Diego professors Harold Urey and Maria Goeppert Mayer. Photographs depict Maria Mayer, her family, and colleagues; scientific conferences; UC San Diego graduate students; and the 1963 Nobel Prize ceremony.

Series 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS: Newspaper clippings from 1933-1972, primarily regarding Maria Goeppert Mayer and her scientific career. Arranged chronologically.

Series 7) SUBJECT MATERIALS: Information on scientific organizations and conferences; a research proposal to the Atomic Energy Commission; Mayer's passports, honorary degrees, and employment information; correspondence, news clippings and reprints regarding the 1963 Nobel Prize; and writings by other researchers, including Mayer's father, Friederich Goeppert. Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Series 10) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS: Biographical information and awards for Maria Goeppert Mayer and her husband, chemist Joseph Edward Mayer; photographs, correspondence, and news clippings on the dedication of her birthplace in Katowice, Poland; news clippings and a report regarding the Nobel Prize; and diplomas for Maria Mayer's honorary doctor of science degrees and the Nobel Prize.

Series 11) CORRESPONDENCE: Correspondence regarding Mayer's 1963 Nobel Prize and letters of congratulations on the award; requests for autographs, photographs, and biographical information; and one folder of general correspondence. Arranged alphabetically by folder title and chronologically within folders.

Series 12) WRITINGS BY MAYER. Arranged in two series: A) Essays and Talks, and B) Notebooks.

A) Essays and Talks: Mayer's opening address for the 1965 National Women's Conference in Tokyo; an untitled talk on women in science; and an essay on physicist Bernd Matthias.

B) Notebooks: Lecture notes and problem sets for classes Mayer taught in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics from 1935-1950. Arranged alphabetically by title.

Series 13) PHOTOGRAPHS: Photographs of Maria Mayer with Japanese students taken around 1953; portraits of Mayer from 1963; photographs of physicists Bernd Matthias and Hans Suess; President Lyndon Baines Johnson with Mayer and the Republicans for Johnson; and a Physics Today cover featuring Maria and Joseph Mayer.