May 16, 1950. .

Prof. FE. L. Tatum,

Dept. Biology,

Stanford University,
California.

Dear Ed:

Thanks very much for your endorsement of the reprinting project. We
will now be able to go ahead with 2 brief survey to estimate the demand,
from which the UW press can figure out just how large avolume can be made
up at a reasonable price. You will doubtlews receive one of the questionnaires.
So far, the only difficulty that has come up has arisen with Winge. His work
is all still in print, and under copyright by his publishers, and is thus
unavailable, but everyone else has very generously and (I hope) capably
agreed to cooperate.

We will be driving West, and taking our time on the way, to arrive at
Berkeley about July 30. We hope to see a good deal of you in August. If
enough progress on the reprinting has been made, I hope you will have time
to criticise the projected contents. I know how terribly busy you must be
these days with the NIH, NRC and so on. s

Rumors travel pretty fast (e.g. re Chicago) but aren't always strictly
accurate. Chicago did indeed make a very generous bid, especially attractive
for the spacious quarters in a new building, and I was very much tempted on
those grounds to take it up. Wisconsin did not make any counter-offer, and
there were no negotiations on that basis. One of my reasons for staying was
that UW has been doing everything I could reasonably expect it to without any
such pressure, a relationship I would not want to alter. Thecaffair seems to
have been #isinterpreted, however, by quite a few spectators: I have had a few
cautious approaches from people whe thougkt that UW must have made such an
outstanding counteroffer that I could not be pried loosesfrom here. That isn't
quite true, and I would certainly be interested in knowing of opportunities
in other places, although we are very happy here.But if I try to explain this,
there will probably develop a counter-rumor that I want to leave here.

To close with a rumor, I heard that Monod has gotten out a pre-lactase
from unadapted coli, identified serologically. The enclosed crystals are
NaCi.

Sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg