UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF BACTERIOLOGY
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA November 2, 1959

Dr. J. Lederberg
Department of Genetics
Stanford University
Stanford, California

Dear Josh:

On October 8 I had a rather lengthy discussion with two of the
engineers at the Naval Biological Laboratory on the problem

of remote collection of microbes from dust samples and remote
two wavelength microscopy. A summary of this discussion is
contained in the enclosed copy of a memorandum from the
engineers, Chatigny and Lief, to Lamanna.

Two points are not adequately covered in the memorandum, First,
several of the groups interested in early warning for BW are
considering similar devices but none has developed a working
model, Second, Carl mentioned another device, developed in
Canada, which converts organic nitrogen to ammonia; the ammonia
is then measured with an ionization gauge similar to but small-
er than those used for detection in vapor chromatography. The
ionization detector may prove the most sensitive device for
detection of "protein."

I will be at Stanford on November 4. I hope to see you then.

Sincerely yours,

A. G. Marr
Associate Professor of Bacteriology

AGMsat

Encl.