‘807 EUGENIA AVENUE
MADISON 8S, WISCONSIN

November 23, 1957
Dear Jim:

Esther and I are just back from a 4-months trip, primarily to Australia,
but returning the long way round.

I found waiting here your letter of April 3 (sic) which had been addressed
c/o Curt Stern at Berkeley, and mist have found its way back here last month
some time. I don't have my old correspondence at hand just now, and we may
have covered the same ground since then, but I really was deeply moved at
what you had to say about Harvard. Ferhaps you've quite forgotten that letter
by now -- its main point was "I was disappointed in that it appears that you
may decide to go to Berkeley without first coming here to look us over," -

It is going to be very easyh for me possibly to contradict the momentarily
expressed sentiments of some months ago, but I would not want you to think
that I had given Harvard or the possibility of moving to such a remarkable
‘university! of colleagues short shrift. I felt I knew Harvard reasonably
well already, and T was rather worn out by recent and prospective travel.
What I later tried to say, and did not very well at it, was that I was then
already involved with Berkeley, not withtm any commitments, but in such a
situation that would take well over a year from then to mature. I could not
see the point for either Harvard or myself in dangling all that time. When
the Berkeley matter did ripen, I could then look at alternatives then cur-
rent. This is not an ivitation to reopen the discussion at the present time:
if or when that becomes apt, I'11 do more than hint at it to you. But I an
most anxious that the recent affair not lessen the cordiality of our relation-
ships nor our mutual regard.

IT am sorry that my Harvey lecture next month will come at a time that
would be personally and academically rather ufipromising for a visit to Cambridge.
T have demanded a raincheck from Carroll Williams, and hope to use it before
too long.

I heard recently of Pappenheimer's coming to your department-- what a clever
wey for Pap! to unload his administrative load! If you care to teil me about
it I'd be glad to hear your department's current plans for genetics, insofar
as they can be a matter of general interest.

T had rather an interesting time with Burnet, Influenza virus, despite the
lack of a plaque method (or maybe there is one from Ledinko & Henle) is still
as good an animal virus as any for recombination analysis, I came to the con-
clusion that Burnet's scheme of two linkage groups, within which no crossing-
over takes place, is at least partly an artefact, fron technical limitations
in the selection of 'sxaxxux crossover! genotypes. Someone like yourself ought
to make a new start with flu; there's lots to be done, and much that can be
done with a more precise analytical approach.

urs, aS ever,
Lt

ZL Joshua Lederberg