Confidential Letter from Homi J. Bhabha to Frédéric Joliot-Curie

ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Confidential

February 11, 1949

My dear Joliot,

I am writing to tell you that, on the recommendation of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Government of India have decided to set up a factory for the processing of monazite. The factory will be run by an independent Government owned company under the auspices of the Atomic Energy Commission.

For the purpose of setting up this factory, it was decided to come to a suitable agreement with a foreign firm possessing the required experience and knowledge of the subject instead of expending our own scientific resources on developing processes which had already been worked out elsewhere. You will be glad to know that, after contacting several firms in a number of European countries, the Atomic Energy Commission decided to recommend that an agreement be made with a French firm for the purpose namely the Société de Produits Chimiques des Terres Rares. I understand that this firm is already well known to you and set up the factory at Boucher for the purification of Uranium Oxide for the French Atomic Energy Commission.

As I believe you are aware, Doctors Blumenfeld and de Rohden have come to India at our invitation and will be returning to France today after completing the details of the agreement. It gives me great pleasure to know that this agreement will further promote cooperation in scientific and industrial matters between India and France a country for which I personally have a great affection, and I trust that with the years this cooperation will grow in extent.

I wrote to you some time ago about inviting you to visit India during the next cold weather commencing in November of this year, and I hope to write to you more definitely in the near future about the arrangements.

With kind regards to you and me Joliot.

Yours Sincerely,

H.J. Bhabha