December 31, 1950.

Dr. Maclyn McCarty,
Rockefeller Institute Hospital,
New York, N.Y.

Dear Mac:

You will probably have heard from the Director of the UW Press that
I am planning a compilation of a few papers in bacterial genetics for
use by students and research workers in related fields. This project is
in an advanced stage, and should be completed if the necessary permissions
can be secured.

The paper by Avery, MacLeod and yourself in 1943 on the pneumococcus
transformation was, of course, one of the first choices for inclusion in
this re-publication , and I hope that you will concur to the extent of
signifying your assent to our use of it. Although the Institute undoubtedly
holds the copyright, I have hoped that it will gives its permission if
this is approved by each of the authors.

This letter is written rather late primarily because I had hoped first
to contact Professor Avery, as senior author. I have not succeeded so far,
and I wonder if you can advise me at what address I might be able to reach
him, or what other course to follow. I had planned to write to Dr, MacLeod
following word from Avery, and then to the Institute Publications Office,
but would be glad to have your advice on the most suitable tactics,

I've meaat to ask you for some time what you thought of the Mollroy~Axelrod-
Mellon report on the induced alteration of streptococci from M to S phase
by deprivation of acetate, which they published in J. Bact. 56, 1948. It's
&@ queer story, but a fascinating one if selection of spontaneous M-S is
really ruled out. Do you know much about 1t? I understood that you have been
working with these organisms, and hoped you had some comment.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg,
Associate Professor of Genetics