September 28, 1959

Dr. K. Bhaskaran
Ram Niwas

Ve. S. Ram Marg,
New Hyderabad
Lucknow, Indla

Dear Dr. Bhaskaran:
i have been most interested to receive your letters of June
and August. We have been rather busy here settling Into our new

laboratories.

You referred to the "Instability of the P factor In V. cholerae

unlike F in B. coli.'' t think you must have meant like in view of
the context of thls sentence and the facts of the case. I'm not sure

| could document this but 1! would be surprised If we did not have
some examples of instability In colicinogeny as well as the carriage
of F. In any event each case has to be studled sul generis. The
main question | had put to you was whether the lytic effect of P+
strains’ should be associated with a bacterlophage or with a lytic
factor Ilke colicin more intimately assoctated with the source
bacterium. 1! will be very happy to continue to receive notices of
your work.

| regret, however, that all the places in my laboratory are
at present filled and that this must prevent me from accommodating
you In the near future at least. I trust you will have written to
Dr. Stocker to see if he Is In a more favorable situation. As
another suggestion | might mention the name of Dr. M. Demerec at
Cold Spring Harbor, the Department of Genetics at the Carnegie
Institution.

| understand the difficulties you must face in working In
Isolation on such subtle problems. You have my earnest commendations
for the Important progress you have made.

As still one other alternative suggestion | might mention the
name of Or. P. Fredericq, whose work you undoubtedly know, and
whose address Is: Institut de Bacteriologie

Universite de Liege
1, Rue de Bonnes Viltas
Liege, Belgium

Yours stncerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics