SEP 10 1973

University of Wisconsin—Madison

LABORATORY OF GENETICS Chairman’s Office 262-3112

Genetics Building Admissions Office 262-3344
ting Offices:

Madison, Wisconsin 53706 Accounting

Medical Genetics 263-1992
Genetics 262-3345

 

6 September 1973

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics

Stanford University Medical School
Stanford, California 94305

Dear Josh:

Last year Jim Crow informed me of your interest in learning more about the
conditions of your appointment to the Genetics staff here some 26 years ago.
Just before Jim spoke to me about this I, as a retired person, had received a
request from the Archives Office for an account of my past academic services
that I deemed of special significance for the University. I stated to Jim
then that my most useful single accomplishment was in helping to recruit you
to the staff and that the relevant documents should be among those to be
worked over in response to the broader request from the Archives Office.

Jim was told that I would write you about the matter in due course.

There was a long and unexpected delay in locating the correspondence concerning
your appointment. Eventually the "recruitment" file during my term as
departmental chairman was found in the University Archives to which it had

been consigned in 1962 when the Department moved to its present quarters.

Either I had been unaware of this transfer or had forgotten about it. Enclosed
are xerox copies of the documents in question that are available. The corre-
spondence is complete, or nearly so, except for one important letter. This
letter was from a distinguished geneticist at another institution who recon-
mended you strongly for the Wisconsin position. His departmental colleagues,
with whom he had consulted and who were named individually in the letter,
however, had not been unanimous in this opinion. Since the viewsof the dissenters
had been given in confidence, and certain of them are still living, the writer
of the letter has asked me not to make the document available to you now. I had
not expected this reply when I sought clearance of the letter, but I have
informed the writer of it that his desires in the matter would be respected,

The Archives policy in such a case is that an outsider will not be given access
to the letter during the lifetime of the recipient, except with the latter's
approval.

The favorable judgment of your achievements and potentialities presented in the
letter being withheld was a decisive factor in persuading certain of my depart-
mental colleagues, who were previously opposed, that we should invite you to join
our staff. The views of Sinnott whose experience included several years on the
staff at the Connecticut Agricultural College, in an academic environment
resembling ours, also carried special weight with the group.
Dr. Joshua Lederberg
6 September 1973
page 2

Initially there was outspoken and determined opposition to inviting you here
on the part of some members of the departmental staff. These individuals
argued that even though we were agreed that promise in basic research should
be the primary factor in making the selection it was important also that the
appointee be agriculturally oriented. The view was expressed that because
of your metropolitan background it was little short of folly to expect that
you would adapt to a College of Agriculture environment. For several weeks
it appeared that the outspoken critics, and others who were less vocal but
seemingly were opposed, were in the majority. Bob Irwin and I, however, kept
the deliberations open, with unwavering support for your candidacy from

Ira Baldwin,then Dean of the College of Agriculture.

Opposition to inviting you to join us later softened. The letter from outside
that I cannot supply you had much to do, in my opinion, with switching the
position of the less determined opponents. Eventually a vote was taken, and
a majority favored inviting you to join the staff.

A year or so after you arrived on the campus one of my colleagues who had

been adamant in his opposition to your appointment remarked to me casually

that "Lederberg seems to be doing exceptionally well. His performance, in fact,
almost justifies the manner in which he was brought here." The dubious procedure
implied was in deferring a departmental vote until the desired majority was
assured. If this was a sin, it has indeed rested lightly on my conscience,
thanks in particular to the exceptionally distinguished and lasting service

you have rendered the University of Wisconsin.

With personal regards,

Sincerely yours,

Wg.

R.A. Brink
Emeritus Professor
of Genetics
RAB: tm
ce: J.F. Crow