Letters Received to H.H. Barker, June 18, 1929

and PURDUE UNIVERSITY LAFAYETTE, INDIANA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE JUN 2 01929 OFFICE OF THE DEAN June 18th, 1929. Mr. H. H. Barker, United States Radium Corporation, 535 Pearl Street, New York, N. Y. My dear Barker: I have your letter of June 13th. You are quite right about Madam Curie being pestered with tourists and refusing to see any not properly introduced. I do not blame her under the circumstances. I have seen many letters written to her from this country and you would be surprised at the kindness and courtesy she shows in dealing with them. A number of times she has asked me what she should do in certain cases. I hope that you will have a very pleasant trip and I am sure that both you and your wife will greatly enjoy it. You may or may not get the same impression that I got in connection with the Belgian Company. Personally, I did not like their attitude. Lechien told me last summer that they were out to put any other company out of business who attempted to make radium and they would cut their price to anything in order to do this. Also, they are extremely independent both as regards receiving visitors and showing them anything. He was polite to me last summer but nothing more. It is my understanding that they have put you in rather a difficult position as regards eliminating mesothorium or bgetting any radium. You will see a letter from me in the next number of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry and also an editorial by Howe. This does not involve your company in any way but we propose to make the Belgian Company sit up and take notice. If we hear anything more concerning the "trust" attitude they are liable to get a good deal more both in this country and in the journals abroad. They have the complete monopoly of radium but I see no reason why they should also control the mesothorium market and any attempt of this kind is going to receive some very sharp criticism. I enclose a letter to Madam Curie which I believe will be of use to you. She and her daughters go away to the seashore in the summer so that you may find them out of Paris. My advice to you is to send my letter on to them as soon as you reach England so as to find out whether they are or are not in Paris. Sincerely yours, neismine RBM*JR R. B. Moore Dean of Science Inclosure.