CENTRE DE RECHERCHES BIOPHYSIQUES ET BIOCHIMIQUES
DU C.N.R.S.

DEPARTEMENT DE BIOCHIMIE MACROMOLECULAIRE 4 July 1970

B. P. 1018
34 - MONTPELLIER

Téléph. : 72.29.44 Poste 637 (Fac. des Sciences)

Prof, Joshua Lederberg
Stanford Medical Center
Stanford University
Palo Alto, Calif, USA

Dear Josh,

I was looking forward so much to the possibility
that I might see you this spring during a trip I had planned
to the States and to California, But spring has gone by and
I still haven't been able to gf away ! Since the last time
we saw each other three years ago, I have never managed
to get back to the U.S, If, finally, I am able to leave J hope
so much to be able to see you, To have been out of contact
these yearsy is for me something I regretted very much,

I still keep the hope that you might one day even visit us in
Montpellier,

To day Iam writing to tell you about the plans of Springer
Verlag (Heidelberg) to create a new journal covering the field
of molecular evolution and to be called the Journal of Molecular

Evolution , The hope is that the first issue can appear early
next year, I wonder what you think about the founding of still
another journal, In the present case it seems to me itis a

timely undertaking,
The areas that the journal thus far plans to cover are:

1) biogenetic evolution (prebiotic molecules and

their interaction) ;

2) evolution of informational macromolecules

(primary through quaternary structure) ;

3) evolution of genetic control mechanisms ;

4) evolution of enzyme systems and of their products ;

5) evolution of macromolecular complexes (chromosomes,
mitochondria, membranes, etc,);

6) evolutionary aspects of molecular population genetics,
Iam not writing this in a purely disinterested way...
In fact, Iam, very selfishly, turning towards you as a friend,
to ask you whether you think you might help me with the journal,

I say J "help me" because, foolishly or not, I have just
accepted the function of being editor in chief, Springer Verlag's
idea in having an editor-in-chief, was explained to me as
being that it is advantageous for a journal (so their past publishing
experience seems to have taught them) to have some one who
centralizes all papers after refereeing and coordinates and
harmonizes policy, Besides the chief editor, five editors are
foreseen, plus an editorial board, The task of the editors is
supposed to be to participate in the policy making of the journal,
to receive manuscripts, send them to referees of their choice,
and finally forward them with the referee’s and their comments

to the editor-in-chief, The main activity offthe editorial board
is to act as referees,

Iam writing, Josh, to ask you if you could possibly accept
to be one of the editors of the forthcoming periodical, There
will be three editors in the States : Ponnamperuma, Jack King
of Santa Barbara, and if 1am extremely lucky, you, There
will be one in Germany, Braunitzer, I shall act as editor in
France, It is conceivable that later on an editor will be sought
in Great Britain,

I feel, Josh, that your opinion about the scientific policy
of the journal, as well as your opinion about individual papers -
especially the controversial ones, that look interesting and
doubtful at the same time, would be for the journal of paramount
importance, I feel that if you accepted to be an editor, the jour-
nal could look with considerably more confidence at its own
future than it could otherwise, and stand a better chance toa
achieve the high standards that will justify its existence,

If you are frightened by the extra load of work that
accepting to be editor entails - as I am frightened myself -
I might pledge to make this load as light as possible by
trying to channel towards you mainly those issues that are
important for the journal, and spare you routine activities,

Could I possibly ask you to let me know your decision
pretty soon ? The announcement of the journal and of its
editors and editorial board have been held up by one or two
vicissitudes stemming from differences of point of view in
the initial stages of its creation, and that has put things seriously
behind schedule, The publishers hoped to be able to formally
announce the journal and its staff by later thismonth, The reason
I am writing you only to-day is that I keck up pay present function
with the journal only very recently, Along with this letter Iam
enclosing a list of the members of the editorial board - that is
those that have thus far accepted,

Hoping that I may see you soon, and with
Jane's and my warmest wishes,

Very sincerely

(ou

Emile Zuckerkandl

P,S, Iam thinking of inviting Woese into the editorial board,
I imagine that you agree with this,