his letter reached Struve. Struve was sitting on a park bench when another Russian ex-officer walked by. The other officer had opened the letter, hoping that it contained money. Instead, it was an offer of a job in America.²⁰

Struve himself told this story many times, but under careful scrutiny the long arm of coincidence is much shorter. On December 25, 1920, the director of the Berlin-Babelsberg Observatory, Paul Guthnick, had written to Frost, relating the sad case of the Struve clan.²¹ Hermann Struve, Guthnick's predecessor, had died on August 12. Ludwig Struve, having fled the war-torn Ukraine, had died in Simferopol on November 4. The younger of Otto's sisters had drowned, and Otto's brother had died of tuberculosis. Otto's mother had a position at the University of Simferopol. Another sister was with the mother, but it was impossible for Otto to communicate with them.²² As Frost had been willing to try to obtain a position for Ludwig or Otto previously,²³ could Frost try again for the young Otto? Thus asked Guthnick.

On January 27, 1921, Frost wrote back to Guthnick to say he would do his best. There began months of sometimes daily activity on Frost's part to get Otto Struve to the United States. The famous job offer letter was sent by Frost on March 2, 1921,²⁴ and received by Otto Struve on April 27.²⁵ But Otto had already known that his situation was likely to change, as he had been in contact with Guthnick and his Aunt Eva in Berlin. On March 11, 1921, Struve wrote to Frost (in German) that he had heard of the job offer from Guthnick.²⁶ On April 12, Struve wrote a curious letter to Frost in English words but with entirely German syntax, in which he thanked Frost again in advance for the job offer.²⁷

Struve took the letter to the YMCA to make sure it said what he thought it did. There he met a man named Areson,