January &, 1960

Dr. Joe Lein
Bristo] Laboratories
Syracuse 1, N.Y,

Dear Joe:

We had a perfectly splendid time In Mexico, whence we have just
returned to find your letter of the 4th.

We were the guests down there of the Djerassi's. Carl remembers
you from the time you were at Ciba together, and he was interested to
hear of your present activities. At present he Is Vice-President for
Research at Sygtex, $.A.; this coming fall he Is joining Stanford as a
Professor of Chemistry. { assume he will continue to commute to Mexico,
muchas he has been doing here for the pest several months, since he
transferred his students from Wayne.He Is certainly one of the most
dynamic and scientifically accomplé@shed men | have ever met, and we wi)l
Se fortunate to have him here. It happens we have the same architect
and we spend a good deal of time comparing notes on our houses.

Joe, | was very much gratified at your letter, not that | had any
doubt how you would respond. I hope that after Bristel has digested its
present accomplishments It will support you In more adventuresaome pro-
grams, and certainly Japan Is a good pjace for it. The best of luck to you
on this. (By the way, if you do have some chance to come down to Palo
Alto before the summer, ! would like you to have a chance to meet one
of my students, Yukinori Hirota. He is returning to Osaka thls summer--
and is one of the most capable fellows we have xuma had in the laboratory.
He 1s very sound In microbial genetics, and there might be some mutual
profit In your belng in contact In Japan. He will be working with H.
Kikkawa, In the Department of Genetics, at the Medical Faculty of Gsaka
University-- and Kikkawa Is certainly a man you should know of If you
have in mind any pxpgxax with university connections. Hirota should not
be distracted from pursuing a basic research program, but there may stil}
be some angles of mutual interest. As you know, quite small amounts of money
can matter a great deal in Japanese science.)

| am leaving Sunday for Nice, but will be back long before you are.
Esther and ! would be delighted to meet you In San Francisco on Febr. 2.
Have you thought of staying at the Hilton Inn, which is near alroort, end
on that account much more convenient for early departures? | suppose
you will be coming In on PAA's Jet flight Monday evening, and we will check
at the Mark Hopkins, and also the HIlton, for your arrival before we
come up to the City to meet you. By the way, our phone numbers are
home: OA-2-0686 and lab (priv line) DA-1-2764.
“INTERIST' stands for international Institute for Medical Research,
fs t understand it this ts supported by a peel of companies, in Europe and
in the U.S., Schering (N.J.) representing the latter. Whether there would
be some device whereby another company could be taken into the pool, without
running Into Sherman act complications, | have no idea <-- probably you
would have to discuss this with Schering. However, if 1 see any likely
prospects for Bristol work in Italy, whether in connection with the cror
gram at Pavia or not, ! will bring them to your attention. (fs 1 stressed
in my last letter, my only connectfons in this matter are with the Genetics
Department at Pavia, as such, so that | am not in any sense working for
Schering. ) Having seen a little of what Syntex is doing for chemical
reseerch in Mexico, | can begin to appre ciate how useful an industrial
laboratory with an enlightened point of view for scientific development
knxka in relatively undeveloped countries.(8y the way, Syntex' report
claims an expenditure of over 15% of their gqnmemMQWXHKBEXXXXIMEAME Xxgarsx
gross income on research -- this must be something of a record, end |
think an enviable one.)

Please give our best to Amel, and to Pat and yourself for the new
year,

As ever,

Joshua Lederberg