Obering. Dr. W. Heumann
Botanisches Institut

th
und Botanischer Garten (20b) Braunschweig, den June. 145° 1956
der Technischen Hochschule HumboldtstraBe 1 - Ruf: 20191/Apparat 213
Braunschweig

Professor Dr. Joshua Lederberg
University of Wisconsin
College of Agriculture
Department of Genetics
Madison 6/Wisc.- USA

Dear Professor Lederberg,

A fortnight ago Dr. Orskov and his wife came to see me. It
has been great pleasure for me to meet him, and I am much in-
debted to you for kindly arranging this meeting. I am convinced
that Dr. Srekov and me and that both our wives will get on very
well together. During our stay in Madison we shall try to rent
a house together. My wife will then take care of Mrs. Orskov's
little daughter, thus enabling her to do her own work, whilst
our financial situation will improve.

It is a great pity that the negotiations with the Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft take an awfully long time. As a rule
three experts have to be asked for their opinion before an
application is granted. In case their reports differ, further
experts have to be consulted. These negotiations are of course
confidential, and I only get to know the final decision. The
fact that the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft has not yet
answered in the affirmative makes me fear that my application
has met difficulties and that the consultation of further
experts has become necessary. That brings about at least a
delay of my journey - perhaps even a refusal of my application.
On no account I shall be able to go to Madison in the middle
of August, as intended. The earliest date will be the middle of
October. That would on the other hand fit much better with the
plans of Dr. @rskov.

A refusal of my application would, as a matter of fact,
lead to serious consequences for my scientific and private
career. In consideration of this situation I should like to
ask you, if you think it perhaps advisable, once more to support
my application with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. I am
sure that the authority of your name would be of importance.

In case my application should be refused, I want to ask
you, if there might be a possibility for me in Madison, to earn
my living and that of my family by scientific work on my field
of occupation. In case of need my family could remain for a
while in Germany, and my wife could take a half day's job,in
order to earn enough money for herself and our little daughter.
As to my passage, my father would help me to manage.

-2ou
-2- Professor Dr. Lederberg, Madison

To ask you to engage a German scientist, whose work is re-
jected by some of his own people, may perhaps be more than is
fair. However, the new results on the field of bacterial gene-
tics and bacterial sexuality seem to be so very strange and
extraordinary to many of the colleagues in our country that
this may explain their reserve.

Still my application is running, and has not been refused
yet. But I should like to find out beforehand, if -in case
of refusal- there should be a possibility to get a place at
your Institute for some time. To work there would be very
important and a great chance for me, for the Institute at
Brunswick disposes of very small means only, which do not
allow me any help or assistant - on the contrary the lecturing
I have’ to do and all the necessary preparations in connection therer
with take up nearly all my time and leave me only very few hours
for my own scientific work.

My publication on the sexual cycle of starforming bacteria,
of which I have sent you a copy, is in press now and will soon
come out in the "Archiv ftir Mikrobiologie", which is edited by
Professor Rippel, University, Géttingen.-

Howsoever the matter will turn out, I do hope that there
will be a possibility for me to do research work at your In-
stitute.

I am, very sincerely yours,

QQ.

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