November 2, 1976

Chancellor Wallace Sterling
451 Meyer Library

Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics

Dear Wally,

The National Academy of Sciences has commissioned George Beadle and
myself to write a memoir on Ed Tatum who died just a year ago. In collecting
the relevant biographical material it became important to get sources that
might describe the environment at Stanford, particularly between 1940 and 1945
which was the period of their most important research. Ed then left Stanford
for Yale where I met him, and as you may recall, returned some years later.

Ray Lyman Wilbur's memoirs might have been expected to cover part of that
period; however, there is an explicit footnote that they are quite incomplete
with respect to this aspect of Stanford's development. The succeeding term by
President Tresidder is, I understand, not notable for the progress of the
university in scientific research. I would have an easy task indeed if the
frame of reference of this inquiry were to include your own administration!

My explicit question of you is where to turn for writings about the status
and the transformation of Stanford during the decade of the 40s.