HARVARD UNIVERSITY

THE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES

16 DIVINITY AVENUE
CAMBRIDGE 38, MASSACHUSETTS

February 28, 1957

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin

Dear Lederberg:

This will put in writing the matters we discussed last
night. The committee, of which I am a member, is unanimous
in placing your name at the head of the list for appointment
to a Full Professorship in the Department of Biology. The
appointment could take effect from any agreed time. It would
be a second appointment in Genetics, since an Associate
Professor will be appointed to have primary charge of the
undergraduate course. However, we do not envisage a Research
Professorship since this has the undesirable effect of
insulating a man somewhat from the normal running of the Department.

Other men in the Blology Department interested more or
less peripherally in genetical problems and enthusiastic at
the prospect that you might join us include Ernst Mayr, Paul
Mangelsdorf, Paul Levine, Jim Watson and John Raper; there is
also Paul Doty in the Chemistry Department. The possibilities
of interaction and collaboration which might develop here are
thus very favorable indeed, In addition, as you probably know,
there is now a very strong biochemical group, including Edsall
Bloch, Westheimer, Wald and myself, who administer advanced
degrees in Biochemistry,and the recent appointment of Bernard
Davis (still unofficial and confidential) to the chair of
Bacteriology in the Medical School should strengthen this
further,

The salaries which we discussed last night need not
necessarily apply,ieIt seems clear that the salary offered you
would not necessarily be the beginning one for full professorships.
This would be a matter for discussion with the Dean and
President and I know that Dean Bundy is enthusiastic at the
prospect and will do all he can to interest you.

Among the things which Harvard can offer, which I feel
is not common to most universities, is the quality of the
graduate students, Over a period of years we have succeeded
in attracting an unusually competent group of young men and

this is one of the things which give so much pleasure to life
here, Cambridge is a pleasant place to live and there is an
exceptionally large amount of music going on; the Boston Symphony
plays a short series of concerts right in Harvard University,
there are a large number of concerts by the Glee Club, the
University Orchestra and innumerable chamber music groups. Boston
is a moderate-size city at a convenient distance away and for
transportation we are rather well situated.

It was very nice of you to offer to make your itinerary
available to me because I still hope that we might arrange
to meet somehow before too long. I would be very happy to drop
down to New York, for instance, to talk with you on your
return from England before you go west again. I hope, too,
that,if any questions occur to you,you would not hesitate to
drop me a line. We do think that the post here is an
attractive one and I would like to feel that you do not commit
yourself to any irrevocable move before we have had a chance
to talk 1t over.

Wishing you a good trip,
IT am
Yours sincerely,

KVT;5a Kenneth V. Thimann
Professor of Biology