May 31, 1947
Bent in long hand

Dr. BE, We Binnott .

Onborn Botenical Laboratory
Tale Vaivoerrcity

New Haven, Connoetteut

. Bear Dr. Sinnott .

Ty. Cole's ratircenent has crocted a vacancy in our ctaff chich wo are
seoicin« to £111 with a men who would work on the gonetics of microorgenisnsa.
Dy. Grtun has snecestcd Jochun Ledsrberg as 2 possibilitye:nd hos hindly
lent us monneerint metcriol which boars out the considerable promise in
research witch Lederberg hes shown as & graduate student.

Ye vonid esprecinte hevine your judement remrding: Lederborg's ability
. to fit into the pattern of an nid-vestern eericzltural experiment station.
Wo umlerstend that Lederberr's lecnings ave tevnrd medicine ond surnice
that srriculture would be now to hin. Cur first considcration is to ret

a first-rate resecsrch man dnterestcd in fundrmentcl rather then epplicd
rensthes. It is not less dmmortrns, hovover, that the man be able to ad-
just himself an reasonable desree to the hetercgcneous charactor of a
large orricultural institution.

Zhove just written Dr. Stun concoynine the sencral naturs of the
enporgunity hove and J have inanired chouts Loderberets attitude touprd
tenn worl: in vicv of the probable call for cocvoratizn with microbiolo=
Gista vovlcing on allicd vrobleas in othor deacrtnonts. A furthor poins
is vhothor Lederbers!s verssnnl chrracteristics ara such that he cowld
avoid the projudice which rombcrs cf his vacinl group sorotimes encomtor
even in a cormunity which considers itcelf rather gensrally tolercnt in such
wet POV.

Yau eoungcl on these questions will be moss helpful to us.

Sincorely yours,

R, As Brink ;
Frofessor of Gonctica