December 25, 1958

Dear George and Eva:

We have been back home a week now, and this is all it takes to be settled
back into our customary routine. But what a routine this is now prepating
to move,

We hardly Imow how to thank you properly for all you have done for us
to make this month such a memorable one. It is preposterous to try, and I am
sure you imow our feelings very well, Many of our doubts and hesitations have
been dispelled in the warmth of the realization, and it is not likely we will
soon forget even the ceremonial aspects, which are the most dispensable,

Our return home was on the whole uneventful. It was rainy but not
unpleasanta at Rapallo, and we needed the rest. We had been booked on a flight
from Milan to Paris (and confirmed twice) only to discover it didn't exist: this
obliged us to make a hurried auto detour fron Rapallo to Turin instead of
Milan, but it all worked out quite well. We left Paris at about 1915 and reached
New York at about 2300 which, in fact, is not too far fron achedule. On the
westbound flight, the jet now has to stop at Iceland, which accounts for part
of the delay, The Zinders met us at the airport and we stayed overnight with
them, and returned directly te Madison the next day.

Let me confirm that the medal just arrived safely from Washington; we had
the diploma with us, of course, and as the bank confirmed the cash transfer, we
can say that all our Viking loot is now safely in hand]

I did try te sound out Norton Zinder about his possible interest in
visiting Stockholm, and was gat glad to find that he might be even keener for
it then I might have anticipated. I suspect that his first inclination might
be to do his research work with, say, yourself in order to learn more, but I
think he would be agreeable to any constructive arrangement. He does have a
nunber of problems in mind, e.g., purification of phage endolysin, which would
very advantageously fit in with the microbiological institute plant too. I
suggest that you open direct correspondence with him as soon as is convenient,
As long as you can agree that he should not be asked to accancdate you at any
financial sacrifice, so that hés wife and two children can accompany him in
some comfort, and so that he will be able to take advantage of the opportunity
for some further travel, I am sure you will have a wk satisfectory basis in
principle, I am sure he will be able to assist you in arranging the financing
of his trip, but as we discussed, the main burden of thts should be met by
yourselvea,
We are leaving for Stanford in just about 3 weeks now. We had a small
collision yeaterday -- my first appreciable accident — roughly parallel
to your own, though not precisely a skid. Although it may have done perhaps
$100 of (partly recoverable) damage to our rather old car, it may have
done us an advantage by suggesting more £% forcefully that we should sell
the car and fly out to California rather than undertake a hasty wekk's
auto trip at this season. So this is probably what wakx we'll do, possibly
on January 20.

A happy new yeer to all of you,