March 18, 1949
Dear Mr. Kline:
The Rockefeller Foundation's fluid research fund appropriations have been as follows:
3/8/29 Univ. of Rochester - $100,000 - 1/1/30-12/31/34 ($20,000 annually)
12/13/29 Yale University - 147,500 - 7/1/29-6/30/37 (tapering $25,000 to $12,500, Yale to maintain at $25,000 annually)
4/16/30 Washington Univ. - 240,000 - 7/1/30-6/30/37 (includes other than medical sciences, tapering but unconditional)
11/14/30 Stanford University - 95,000 - 1/1/30-12/31/36 (tapering from $20,000 to $5,000 annually, the University to maintain at $25,000 annually)
12/16/31 Vanderbilt Univ. - 250,000 - 1/1/31-12/31/39 (tapering from $50,000-$5,000 annually in hope that University will maintain at $50,000)
5/9/32 Oregon University - 13,000 - 6/1/32-6/30/35
4/7/37 Yale University - 250,000 - Capitalization of above, the University to raise similar endowment of fluid research
4/6/38 Stanford University - 75,000 - 9/1/38-8/31/43 ($10,000 annually outright; $5,000 conditional upon $5,000 from other sources)
1/20/39 Johns Hopkins Univ. - 90,000 - 1/1/39-12/31/44 (tapering from $20,000 to $5,000 annually, but unconditional)
5/16/41 Univ. of Rochester - 90,000 - 7/1/41-6/30/44 ($30,000 annually)
12/1/43 University of Utah - 15,000 - 1/1/44-12/30/46 ($5,000 annually)
The satisfactory distribution of fluid research funds depends upon the conscientious work of a small committee of discriminating, courageous and tactful members of the local faculty.
The results we have seen have been good--without exception or abuse. Recipients have been encouraged and stimulated by the confidence thus expressed by their peers. The duty of wise distribution has exercised critical faculties of the members of the Fluid Research Fund Committee. The longer the period of availability the larger is the number of men who experience the stimulus of feeling that research work is within their reach without having the job of "selling it to a foundation in advance." Local administration and local onlookers provide an unostentatious but pretty thorough going type of guarantee that the funds will be sensibly used. On the whole Fluid Research Funds free a scientist to follow his own bent and not shape it to the supposed interest of outsiders.
Yours sincerely,