February 18, 1956

Professor J. 4. Jenkins
Department of Genetics
University of California
Berkeley 4, California

Dear Jim:

I will answer that part of your letter of the 10th which refers
to Dr. Gyorffy. I did met Gyorffy in London last March. He has worked
previously in plant cytogenetics and more recently has gone into the
genetics of microorganisms. What he had to say at the meeting was not
especially exciting, although he does seem to have a very sound approach
and he may have turned up more interesting material since last year.
One of his collaborators is a Dr. Balassa who does have an interesting
story on the transformation of Rhizobium. He speaks English very well
indeed and if he has some material of current interest would make a very
good seminar. On the whole, I think his main interests would be more as
a geneticist from behind the iron curtain than for the scientific content
of his immediate work.

He has made no secret of the fact that he is a dedicated democrat.
So is everyone else in Hungary since 1956. However, there is no need to
place undue stress on this.

I obviously won't have any more to say about the other issues that
you raised until I have heard further from you.

With all best regards,
Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Medical Genetics

JL/ew

ad 2C

f
Pw

‘op