GHEMICAL CORPS BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES

MEDICAL BACTERIOLOGY DIVISION
Comp Detrick, Frederick, Maryland

24 February 1954

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Dept. of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Josh:

Yesterday I received both your request for information on Robert
Coon as well as his request to write to you in regard to his application.
I am sorry that I shall not be able to give you a proper and full appraisal
of Mr. Coon's abilities since I have had only very occasional contacts
with him. He appears to be serious and ambitious but in the few conversa-
tions that I have had with him he did not give any evidence of being
particularly brilliant. This sober appraisal may do Coon injustice but
I just have not had the opportunity to be impressed by his abilities and
I am sure you will appreciate an honest but brief appraisal from me much
more than any standard letter of recommendation. I believe that some-
body at Cold Spring Harbor should be in a far better position to appraise
Coon's abilities since, as you know, he spent a considerable amount of
time at Cold Spring Harbor. He just happens to be one of those quiet
fellows whose abilities are hard to determine unless you can observe the
person for a considerable period of time.

We are still running tests on Esther's cultures and so far the results
have been less clear-cut than in the material which Bertani sent us some
time ago. There are differences in the amino acids accumulating in dif-
ferent cultures but these differences appear to be less striking than in
Bertani's filtrates. I hope to be able to send yoy detailed data within
a few. weeks,

When are you going to be in Bethesda?
with best personal regards,

Sincerely yours,
Le

WERNER BRAUN
WB/bsp