The elementary proof of the prime number theorem (Q842502)

This paper elaborates on the well-known controversy that arose when an elementary proof of the prime number theorem was discovered in 1948. Was the proof attributable to Atle Selberg, or was the proof attributable to Atle Selberg and Paul Erdős? The main contribution of this paper is the inclusion of notes written in the early 1970s by Ernst Straus, who was in a unique position to observe the beginnings of the controversy. Straus did not want his notes published while the participants were still alive, and their inclusion in this paper helps to flesh out the sad story of this controversy. A postscript by Carl Pomerance comments on the use of elementary and combinatorial ideas in problems concerning primes.