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Department of Genetics

November 19, 1958
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Dr. Leonard Herzenberg
Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory
NIAID, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda 14, Md.

Dear Leonard:

| am writing to ask whether you would be interested én discussing the pos-
sibility of an appointment in this department and, If soohow we might best bring
the matter to a conclusion. The problem Is that | am terribly tied up for the
immediate present, and am likely to be unti] we move out to Stanford the end of
this semester. {tf it would be pessible for you to wait until then, the ideal ar-
rangement would be to ask you to visit Stanford after } get there, say about
February 15. The new medical center won't be finished until July, and we will be
in temporary quarters, but there will still be a great advantage to having you on
the spot to talk things over, if you are still free to act. Also, it is a little
difficult for mea to make firm commitments at Just this time.

What | would like to say Is that7we are trying to collect a group of geneticists
and cellular biologists In which your particular research interests and skills
would play a unique part. You would of course have complete responsibility for
your own program but | think I'm guessing right In thinking you already have your
mind fixed on goals in the genetic analysis of somatic cells that could not better
match the rest of our program. | am enclosing some material that may help to ree
fresh your memory on the extent to which Stanford is differentiating tn just this
direction, and t assume you diffused far enough from Pasadena during your graduate
work to have a good idea of the geographic setting. The Genetics Department is pri-
marily a research Institute, and you won't be burdened with more than a few (let's
say 10, to set a definite number which Is probably too high) hours a year of obli-
gatory teaching to the medical students. On the other hand, ! would expect that you
would want to develop some graduate courses in your own specialty-- let ma know if
| have misjudged that. The title and rank | am prepared fo discuss at this Instant
is an Instructorship, which would give us both a probationary period, but I should
Stress first that at Stanford Medical School this Is coupled with a salary that com
pares favorably with the assistant professorships here at Wisconsin (perhaps better),
and second that | would consider my confidence grossly misplaced if your appointment
did not rapidly progress tohigher and to tenure ranks . | am quite ready and
authorized to make you a firm offer, the main question in my own mind being the
practical details, and not in any way your aptness for the job (and vice versa).
But, provided you yourself are receptive and uncommitted, | think it would work
out much more smoothly if we could postpone the discussion until February. If this
is impractical for you, ! will Just do the best | can meanwhile. However, | think
you will see the complexity of my own position, what with not having occupied the
fort myself, concern about moving, and having an ad hoc trip to Swedan next month.

Could you tell me when you would prefer to make your appointment effective?
This soon be almost at your own convenience, preferably during the earlier part of
1959-60.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Executive Head + Professer