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ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITA

 

ROMA VIALE REGINA ELENA, 299

Prof. J.Lederberg
Department of Genetics

The University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wis. U.S.A.

Dear Lederberg,

I have made the application for a Fulbright
Travel Grant, and I hope to be able to cross the
Ocean and meet you somewhere in the new World this
Summer. I have applied on the basis of a letter
by Bonner inviting me for a period of three months
and guaranteing me a support of 1,000 dollars.

I confess that I am no longer very sure that
I made the best choice. Biochemistry of Neurospo-
ra is of course a wonderful field, but Genetics of
Streptomyces is very much more actractive to me,
After the first success the progress in this field
has been vety laborious, the quantitative reproduci-~
bility of the results was low, and I have been some-
what distracted from th¢s topic. I realize that, to
overcome this lag phase, it would be necessary for
me to devote all my energies to this field, which
now occupies only 20 per cent of my time.

A short period of collaborative wark with
Bradley would be, as far I can see, the best start,
and a longer period could perhaps bring us to some
consistent achievement.

_ TI must confess I have no idea how I could manage
to join Bradley fora longer period than a week.
I could pospone my return from the U.S.A., and spend
a few months with Bradley, but how could I justify
this program to Bonner? Moréover I cannot stay in
the U.S.A. without an adeguate support, and Bradley
has not significent funds available.

A possible arranvement would be to have Bradley
in my laboratory. But I am afraid that, unless he
gets a grant from the U.S., I won't be able to find
any financial support for him.

This last solution would allow my wife also
collaborate with Bradley.
ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITA

ROMA VIALE REGINA ELENA, 299

I would be grateful if you could suggest a way
in which I might join Bradley. I trust that sooner
or later this will be possible and, at least, I
hope to profit from my coming subjourn in the U.S.
to make some arrangement for the future.

With my best regards to you and Mrs Lederberg
from my wife and myself.

Sincerely yours
Gye Set

(G.Sermonti)

Rome, February 6th, 1958.