May 12 1958
Dear Josh
Thank you for your letter.  I am very glad you agree about the Royamont project and am looking forward to seeing you again next summer.
We have not yet any precise opinions about the F factor since this does not seem apt to be any conclusive evidence its cytoplasmic vs. nuclear nature (at least not yet we know of).
About the questions you ask, I can only answer some of them.
1). To plate [. . .] one has to be very tired[?] with the [. . .] couples. We dilute very slowly, throw gently [. . .] into melted agar tubes and pass these onto agar plates, very carefully.
2) We have no more CSH reprints.  I will look carefully whether some have been hidden somewhere and send them if I can find some.
3) We have some [. . .] for which the first [. . .] enters between 4 and 5 [ . . . ].  This is the earliest time[?] we have.
[END PAGE ONE]
[BEGIN PAGE TWO]
4) We have not yet studied zygotic [. . .] very early.
We have another evidence that in some cases the whole genome[?] is infected: this is based on [. . .] B galactosidase by zygote resulting from [. . .] between H lac+ and F- lac-, in conditions where the [. . .]. If our uses are off strain which injects lac in the first minute, once [. . .] that B-galactosidase [. . .] almost immediately after the [. . .] of the first lac [. . .] in the recipients and the [. . .] where [. . .] lac [. . .] are transferred (all this is independent  of 2c [. . .]). When one uses all [. . .] in which lac is ejected last, there is also detectable [. . .] of [. . .] for several hours.
We shall discuss all this next summer. I hope you [. . .] enjoy the Royamont meeting which we shall try to be pleasant, not too tiring, and if possible useful.
Best regards to both of you and to Luca
Yours
Francois
I just realize that the secretary did not possess[?] the paper I had prepared to send with the [. . .] for Richter. Would you tell him that [. . .] is B- and lac-.