January 15, 1973
Dear Jim:
It wasn't clear from  your letter whether you had a firm, but informal, appointment at Davis or whether there was still a real question. I assume, from the fact you spoke of a real choice that it is the former. I'm really delighted. More or less, I think you're right in feeling Chicago was an error. You'll be glad to know that in the various letters I've written for you over the years, that situation was always pointed out, with an attempt to give a balanced picture of your own role  in the collaboration.
The situation is dreadful all over. Even NIH is quaking for real now. Morale is very low over the firing of Marston. And people who previously threw all job offers in the round file are now seriously looking. There is not even a rumor about who will replace Marston. Things will get worse before they get better.
Meanwhile we (myself and two new hard working but not yet proved fellows) have our monkey cells growing, SV40 growing, various substrates prepared, and are actually starting experiments.  I am very pleased by the progress these few months, though it's just tooling up until the last week or so. Therefore it's a bad time to be going off to India for three weeks, but I'm going. Actually it's bad for other reasons, mainly, I'm tired. Resettling both at  lab and home has been a drag, and I can't quite manage the 20-hour days any more (shades of Leon Heppel and complaints on aging).
All else is well -- keep me posted.
Yours,
Maxine Singer