Family background and early education in Hungary (Ferenc von Kr̀mǹ). Undergraduate studies in Paris from 1926 (Jacob Salpeter, Felix Ehrenhaft and Paul Langevin); work habits, comments on Prof. A. Guillet, 1928-1931. Studies at Universitt̃ Berlin, 1929-1931, Max von Laue's weekly seminars; moves to Universitt̃ Breslau with Francis E. Simon; thesis, "The Thermal and Magnetic Properties of Gadolinium Sulfate," 1931. Social and political climate in Breslau, 1931-1933. Peter Debye's low temperature proposal to Simon (William F. Giauque); Simon and Kurti emigrate to England in 1933; Frederick A. Lindemann's (Viscount Cherwell) involvement; Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). Settling down at Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford; discussions of their work on production of very low temperatures, production of liquid helium in 1936; the technique of detecting superconductivity in cadmium, 1934; comments on relationships in the low temperature community (the two groups at Clarendon). Collaboration between Clarendon Laboratory and Laboratoire du Grand Electroaiment, Bellevue, 1935-1939; leads to important pre-war work. Comments on Leo Szilard and on colloquia and seminars at Clarendon Lab. Also prominently mentioned are: Hans von Halban, Hendrik Anthony Kramers, H. E. Kuhn, Heinz London, Kurt Mendelsohn, Otto Roff, Erwin Schrd̲inger, Wiershma; and Universit ̌de Paris.