In memory of Mikhail V. Volkenshtein

Dedicated to the 90^th anniversary of his birth and to 10 years after his death. Professor and Associated Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Mikhail V. Volkenshtein was an outstanding scientist well known by his work in physics, chemistry, and biophysics. Two scientific sessions of this Symposium were dedicated to the memory of this great scientist and opened with the lecture of Tatiana M. Birshtein. In the archive of T. M. Birshtein there is a letter by M. V. Volkenshtein, which was written in 1982 in reply on her request to present some necessary information for the paper in Polymer Science (Russia) dedicated to the 70^th anniversary of his birth. This letter gives one a good idea about both the scientific activity and bright personality of the author. T. M. Birshtein and A. A. Mercurieva translated the document and prepared this publication. The main text of the letter is below, it is typed by Italic to be distinguished from the comments.