July 12, 1951.

Dr. Leonard Karel,
Chéef, Faxtramural Programs,
National Microbiological Institute.

Reference: F 72(C3)
Dear Dr. Karel:

Thank you for your letter of July 10, and for the statement of research
grant award which accompanied it.

As you know, this award was made for an amount considerably less than
that requested. We have been, and shall continue to be deeply indebted to
the Research Grants Programs of the National Institutes of Health for the
very generous support they have provided for our work on bacterial genetics,
and it is not difficult to envisage the circumstances which necessitated
retrenchments such as this. I would value your counsel, however, on the
probabilities of the future course of these programs as they may relate
to our own project, in order that we may lay plans for the uninterrupted
execution of our research.

This project, initially RQ-1445 (4&I) was initiated on a very modest
basis, and I was in fact advised by various people who I expected tc be
acquainted with the facts that A more ambitious request should have been
proposed. I felt, however, that in the initial, exploratory, and rather
unpredictable phase of this particular problem that no more funds should
be committed than were absolutely essential to keep it going until such
time as we could have some prospect of a worthwhile return on the invest-
ment. Frankly, until a few months ago, I would have admitted that such a
return was doubtful, except for information of a purely nevative character.
At about the time that the project for F 72 (C3) was written up, on the
genetics of bacteria, with special emphasis on Salmonella, the picture
changed completely, and the likelihood of significant results became, in
my own mind, very great. The request for increased support was comnensu-—
rate with this conviction.

The adminga&tration of the grants program, and my dealings with its
agents have been so gratifying, that I would hold it very important to
retain ins confidence if tmt were reasonably possible. The redent action
with respect to this budget raises certain questions either as to that
confidence, or (I hope more likely) as to its resources. Either way,
this places me in a quandary: shall we proceed on a limited basis for
the time being, in hopes of more favorable action at a later date, or
shall we look for other sources of support, with the possibility of

a deflection of our course in other, or more applied directions.

I hope that this letter does not unfairly demand an unanswerable
question. I am certainly not asking for any commitments of any binding
character. However, it might remain appropriate to ask whether the
extmamural programs intend to encourage or discourage applications
for augmented support, and whether the prospects of necessary resources
are favorable or not , all assuming that the study committees find the
same interest in this project as theybwhowed in 1948-50. If the diffi-
culty is at this last level, I should of course be indebted for any
criticism of the scientific validity or value of our work in progress.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg,
Associate Professor of Genetics.