One of Bethe's most famous papers is one he never wrote: the 1948 Alpher–Bethe–Gamow paper. George Gamow added Bethe's name (in absentia) without consulting him, knowing that Bethe would not mind, and against Ralph Alpher 's wishes. This was apparently a reflection of Gamow's sense of humor, wanting to have a paper title that would sound like the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. As one of the Physical Review ' s reviewers, Bethe saw the manuscript and struck out the words "in absentia".