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SERGEI D. MITEREFF : 1946 ORIGINAL, SIGNIFICANT ORIGINAL JOURNAL AND DIARY HAND WRITTEN BY A NOTED RUSSIAN BORN ENGINEER, INVENTOR AND PATENT HOLDER PROVIDING INSIGHT INTO AMERICA'S RUSH TO SECURE GERMAN 'INTELLECTUAL PRODUCT' IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WAR

16mo - over 5¾" - 6¾" tall. On offer is a unique, significant notebook and diary detailing an original invention by a very successful American inventor and describing his time in post war Germany. This pocket notebook measures 6.75 inches by 3.75 inches. It is comprised of 84 loose-leaf pages and is 90% complete. The covers are missing but the pages are in good condition. The handwriting is small and tight but legible. Sergei D Mitereff was an engineer with Allied Chemical Corporation. He was born in Russia in 1902. He graduated from the Russian Naval Academy and at some point following WWI, he emigrated to the United States. He studied at John Hopkins University, graduating in 1927 with a degree in Engineering. He passed away in 1971. Allied Chemical Corporation was established in 1920 to counter Germany's dominance of ammonia and industrial dye production. This notebook details one of several patents Mitereff received for industrial processes he invented. This specific patent is U.S. Patent No. 2116881 dealing with the recovery of urea in the ammonia manufacturing process. The notebook is divided into sections and contains drawings, tables and descriptions of various processes. Some entries are in German. In July, 1947, he travels to Germany on an assignment to obtain formulae and drawings of urea processing from German factories. His comments provide some interesting insights into the post-war months as the United States and other allies sought to take German manufacturing ideas for themselves: "arr at Hotel Carlton about 1:00 PM local time 4th of July. Room across hall from jewel thief Colonel ... " [July 4, 1946]. He means Colonel jack W. Durant, who with two other officers ,was involved in stealing Hesse crown jewels, valued from $1,500,00 to 3,000,000 from Kronberg Castle near Frankfurt. He and his wife were kept before trial in a guarded two-room suite in Carlton Hotel. "... went for car - four trips planned and only three avail. All German drivers. What I will do with him in French zone? No rations available ... paid respects to Colonel Romera ... made date with [ ] to see Dr. Balz and others tomorrow ... Will ask many specific questions. Everything is black market ..." [July 16, 1946]. He probably means German chemist Gunther Balz, one of the authors of the Balz- Schiemann reaction, a pioneering method for preparation of aryl fluorides. "Tried to get urea flow diagram from Bockmeyer but he not available. Then went to see Balz and try to get more info. On pressure he admitted there was such a thing as O2 [ ] system. He is an SB of the first water - a Nazi if I ever saw one ... " [July 19, 1946]. He notes a number of places he visited and factories he travelled to, including IG Farben, the huge German chemical manufacturer. He also comments on the living conditions of the local people: "... went to Oberstein. What a place. The people are really hungry there. They also want to buy cigarettes 50 marks - thats $5.00 a pack and we get them for 8 ¢ ..." [ July 21, 1946]; "... Each of the Drs who was a Nazi must do a certain amount of laboring work ..." [July 24, 1946]. He left Germany on September 5th to return to the United States. His notes also contain a detailed listing of expenses incurred on his trip. This notebook is valuable to a historian for the insight it offers into the actions of the allied governments to secure for themselves the high-quality German intellectual 'product' following the war. His notes list many German, American and other Allied officers and scientists by name. His expenses provide some insight into daily costs of living. For a chemist, his notebook is a detailed discussion of the chemical processes he studied and for which he was eventually awarded a patent.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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