Sto eb we na at ee ew oe be 20th Januapy 1957 ~ p hint
Dear Josh, «© ~~ a ye a

Thank you for your letter of the 24th. I had not realised that my
few tentative enuiries as to possible openings for me in the United States had
reached you in Madison. However, your suppositions are correct and I have de-
cided to cut my losses.over here and try to get started in the US. My situation
is certainly no$ desperate and I oer tainly going to think most carefully
before making definite applicatio Tet alone before accepting, any given
position. There is a fairly widespread feeling of despair amongst several
groups here which is not improvimg as time goes on. I donot think that your
suggestion of an improvement in the near future is justified here. The academic
market is much more stagnant than in the US ‘and prospects are very much a matter
of ‘dead man's shoes'-. the prospective 'bulge' shows no sign of affecting this
other than, possibly, for physicists and such allied branches.

Your offer ef: assistance is most gratefully accepted and I think that
it might be helpful if.I answered your queries roughly seriatim. My requirements
are not too rigid,-I would like to be able to utilise my qualifications,such
as they are, i.e. I would like to continue in microbiology utilising if poséible
my knowlegge of phage and of genetics. I donot mind a moderately routine situation
so long, however, as I can have a moderate amount of time to follow my own bent.
The major part of my training has, of course, been in medical and public health
bacteriology and it might be that something in that sphere would be most suit-
able. I have no very firm ideas as to location excepting that I am not very
keen, nor is Helen, on either the east or west coasts. This however leaves a
vast area between,

If I came I would be coming on an immigrant visa which I do not thiik

I would have too much difficulty ‘in obtaining.
I am not certain ‘whether you will have heard that Helen is due to huve
a baby sometime in the period AprilaMay. This leads directly on to two of your
other questions, She will most certainly not be working full-time after herhk
ftkesia“is.completed (shortly we hope), nor is she likely to be interested in
_ part-time work for some time in the future. It also means that we would not{be
‘wanting. to leave here for some few months after. We had been thinking of Sept~-
Oct. as an early limit, &:
, A pre-visit is, I'm afraid, out of the question for two main reasons.
Firstly” although possibly an investment I cauld:not consider it financially.
Secondly, L would rot be able to get leave of absence for it, most certainly
not if it was realised. ‘that it was to be a prospecting tour. My intentions to
move are not too widely publicised here, Andy knows,but no-ene else ig the PHLS
hierarchy, and until such time as I have to gubmit formal notice (3 mths) 2a
prefer to keep it that way. i
> As IT had said é¢arlier I have made, ae yet ner applications for any position.
There is one that I have been considering. This = heard of from Bill Hayes and:
is at the University of Kansas. Possibly you‘have heard of it. It is for somebody
to take bacterial genetics and cytology,’ two ‘branches which are, they say, as
yet uncovered in their Scourge, However, the departméntal chairman, Paretasky,
states. that. they are really looking fer somebody‘very jupior, a fresh Ph.D.,
a hence: are not willing to give more’ than a low starting salary or status.
I will Nave to make a decision as to applying very shortly - applications are to
be in by March - and wonder. what you think of it.-

We heard from Nancy Millis at Chtistmastiine. She told us that your course
and seminars were greatly appreciated in Melbourne, I should imagine that you
must “have had a fairly enjoyable but rather busy tour there and back. The settling
down afterwards is always a little diffacult but if you already feel that the
trip was remote you mist certainly be back in the thick of routine.
We are both well here. Helen is busy writing her thesis against the
deadline of -the impending birth and we are hoping that she makes it in time.
Best wishes to Esther and also to Jim Crow,