July 1, 1975
Dear Francis:
I am sorry not to have replied immediately, but with the Symposium and a week of recovery on Martha's Vineyard I am only now answering mail of the last six weeks.
The rumor which reached you concerned my hope that somehow the original papers and correspondence of the RNATIECLUB should be preserved, and that it might be nice to have it out to mark your 60th birthday.  Obviously it should include any correspondence you still have, and so we never thought of it as a "surprise," and I should have written you sooner.
The Lab here would like to publish the material and most certainly could put it out at a cheaper price, as well as a more attractive format, than any commercial publisher.  I have talked with Igor on the phone who tells me that he thinks most of his father's files are in the Library of Congress.  Fortunately his stepmother appears to have been very methodical about George's correspondence, and, hopefully, we will not have too much trouble locating most of the key letters.
Living in Airslie now makes our life much more relaxed, and we virtually never think about our past days at Harvard.  Also, the science here continues to excite me, and especially in the summer we are surrounded by visitors we enjoy entertaining.  Gunther and Seymour are about, and seeing Sidney again brought back memories of the first time (1954) we were together in Cold Spring Harbor.
Naturally, I hope some special occasions will bring you to the States, and that you will be able to stay with us.
With my best regards to both you and Odile,
J. D. Watson