April 28, 1952

Dr. P. R. Edwards
Communicable Disease Center
Public Health Service; Box 185
Chamblee, Georgia

Dear Dr. Edwards:

I am writing to ask your reaction to the possibility of my visiting
your laboratory for a few weeks early next year.

In our work on Salmonella transduction, the limitations of our re-
sources and experience are becoming very apparent. This is especially
true of our projected work on the biological synthesis of named and new
serotypes by means of transductive exchange of serological factors be-
tween various types. The "hybrid" IX, XII, 1;—- served as an illustrative
example, but the possibilities should be by no means so limited. There
is obwkously only one place in the U.S. where such work can be done on
the scale merited by ita importance, and this is your laboratory. The
technical requireuwents for glassware, aquipment, and so on would be very
modest. The important thing would be convenient access to appropriate
cultures and diagnostic reagents, and to your experience and insight into
then.

I would not suggest settling any arrangements now. My academic commit-
mehts, however, would leave next February as the only convenient open tim.
If my proposal merits further discussion, in your opinion, I would arrange
to leave that month unobligated. I anticipate no difficulty in making ny
own financial arrangements for my wife (who 1g a research associate with me)
and myself. Aa a good dwal cf the preliminary work has been and will have
been done here, even the short tims of a month's visit should be fairly
productive.

I had thought previously that Mr. Zinder might make such a proposal.
He has however accepted another appointment where he will certainly continue
to explore various phases of this research.

In hopes there will be no serious impediment to my ppeposal,

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Assoclate Professor of Genetics

P.S. Thank you for the last baééh of cultures (your letter of 3/27) if not

cknowledged. We have received Boulgakov's flagellar phage and can
previously sek? for G-variants in certain types with it. JL