YALE UNIVERSITY
SHEFFIELD SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL

EDMUND W. SINNOTT 127 HALL OP GRADUATE STUDIES
DIRECTOR NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

June 4, 1947.

Professor R, A, Brink
Depirtneant of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Vadison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Dr. Brink:

Your letter of May 31 with resard to Mr. Joshua Lederburg
is at hand. Mr. Lederburg gets his doctor's dersree with us next fall
after residemeof about one and a half years at Yale to which he came
from 2raduate work at Columbia. ‘Je re-ard Lederburg as the most bril-
liant sraduate studen¥ we have.and I am inclined to think that in
geenoral he is the bect man of any student¢I have known. As you know,
he has published a number of important papers which have attracted a
eood deal of attention. He has complete command of the subject of the
eenetics of microorganisms and is thorourchly trained in the techniques
of this field and in biochemistry renerally. We huve a number of good
students in microbiology, but he stands out ‘above the rest of them not
only in his grasp of that field, but in his wide training and interest
in other fields of biology. Nost microbiologists tend to be rather
narrow in their interests and training, but Lederburg knows the whole
field of biology in a broad way and did a fine job on his comprehensive
examination. As to intellectual ability and promise I can recommend
him to you with the warmest enthusiasm.

Lederburg's chief difficulties are personal ones. As you
know, he is a Hebrew and during his undergraduate years at Columbia
was, I understand, rather insufferable. ile have not found him per-~
sonally objectionable, although when he first came he was inclined to
be a little pushful in discussion and sometimes failed to observe all
the amenities which most of us value. However, we have noticed a very
ereat change during the time he has been with us and I would ask for
no more courteous or personable fellow then he now is. Part of this
we are inclined to attribute to the fact that he married a very attrac-
tive rirl this vear who has notably steadied him. I think you would
hive no problem with him in working with other people. He would con- —
tribute a erent deal in the way of ideas,and in our seminars he has been
distinctly a catalyzer. He has grown in every way in our estimation.
The fuct remains that he is rather obviously Hebraic and in a community
which tended to be anti-Semitic he mizht have a hard time, Tatum knows
the Wisconain scene very well, however, and feels sure that he would be
happy theres Whoever gets him will have a very brilliant investigator.

With best personal regards, I am

Yours very truly,