Finding Aid to the Lawrence Cranberg papers, 1962-2000.

Selected Search Terms

These papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

Biographical Note

Lawrence Cranberg, physicist (nuclear physics). Physicist, Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories, 1940-1950 and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 1950-1963; professor of physics, University of Virginia, 1963-1971; and vice-president, research and development, Nuclear Applications Division, Accelerators, Inc. 1971-1973; president, TDN Inc., 1974; and president, Texas Fireframe Co., from 1975.

Scope and Contents of Collection

Collection includes several folders of correspondence (bulk dates 1964-1967) between Cranberg and staff members of the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Institute of Physics concerning his objections over revisions made in the APS constitution in 1966 and his own proposals which would have amended the Society's objectives to allow it to become a regulatory organization concerned with the ethical practices of the physics community. Other correspondence topics include Cranberg's publication arrangements, especially for his many letters to the editor of Physics Today; the nomination of Edward G. Pickels for the National Medal of Science based on his contributions to the field of ultracentrifugation and supporting background material (1933-1992); correspondence from Cranberg and A. J. Zink to National Science Foundation concerning Zink's complaints regarding the manufacture of ultracentrifuges by Jesse W. Beams at the University of Virginia in the 1960s; the dismissal of James S. McCarthy from the University of Virginia in 2000; Oppenheimer's management of Los Alamos written in 2000. Also contains materials on Cranberg's "Reaction Study by Time-of-Flight," 1954, which discusses a method of observing and measuring the spectra of neutrons. Correspondents include: Luis W. Alvarez, Robert F. Bacher, Hans Bethe, Felix Bloch, Karl K. Darrow, R. Hobart Ellis, Maurice Goldhaber, Elmer Hutchisson, H. William Koch, Arthur L. Schawlow, Frederick Seitz, and Charles Townes.

Organization and Arrangement of Collection

This collection is organized into a single series, and arranged chronologically:

• Series I: Papers

Access to Collection

Researchers must have an approved access application on file in order to access archival materials. http://www.aip.org/history/nbl/access.html.

Restrictions on Use of Collection

Provenance and Acquisition Information

Received from Lawrence Cranberg, 1966, 1983, 1992, and 2001.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Lara D'Agaro in 2007.

Preferred Citation of Collection

Box [number], Folder [number], Lawrence Cranberg papers. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD 20740, USA.

Container List

Series I: Papers
Box 1	Folder 1	Correspondence with American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics, 1962-1965
	Folder 2	Reaction study by Time-of-Flight , 1966
	Folder 3	Correspondence with American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics, 1966-1967
	Folder 4	Proposed amendments to American Physical Society constitution, 1966-1967, 1969 and 1981
	Folder 5	Correspondence with American Physical Society and American Institute of Physics, 1968-1972, 1975-1976, 1981-1982
	Folder 6	Correspondence regarding University of Virginia and Jesse W. Beams, 1991
	Folder 7	Nomination of Edward G. Pickels for the National Medal of Science, 1992
	Folder 8	Correspondence, 2000