TLS signed “E. Rutherford,” one page, 8 x 10, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge letterhead, November 20, 1923. Letter to a colleague regarding admissions of one of his students. In part: “I feel in rather a difficult position with regard to accepting American graduates who have not had an advanced training corresponding to the American PhD, and some experience in research…in normal circumstances I imagine that even a good student who has obtained an ordinary degree has not nearly the general grounding in physics of one who has spent three years on our Honours Course. No doubt your PhD training more than compensates for this…We have to look after the research people on top of our regular duties and you can readily understand that we are not very anxious to have to train the raw product from outside, from scratch…The situation is very different with one who has received a good preliminary training and experience in research outside. I am always glad to find a place for men of this kind, and I think they get much more out of the Cambridge experience under these conditions…The laboratory is very crowded and I have to be careful to keep the numbers within working limits.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds, one vertical fold passing through a single letter of the signature, light scattered creases, and a light uniform shade of toning. A fascinating letter about university politics from the atomic pioneer. RRAuction COA.
