November 27, 1959

Dr. Hideo Kikkawa

Medical School, Osaka University
33 Joancho, Kitaku

Osaka, Japan

Dear Professor Kikkawa:

Hirotasan has just kindly shown me the letter he
had received from you. My wife and | are very grateful
to you for your suggested Invitation to visit Japan.
We would be delighted to do this when a suitable opportunity
arose. Unfortunately, my commitments here would make it
quite Impossible to contemplate leaving for any perlod of
time during the present academic year. With great regret
therefore, ! would have to say that ! would be unable to
accept your cordtal Invitation for this tlme.

if there is a possibility for further discussion of
this proposal at a future date, ! would like to suggest
the early fall of 1961. This Is some time away and the
Interval would allow me to make sultable preparations In
advance. It might possibly be advantageous, if this
counter proposal could be realized in some way, to
schedule the visit to follow the Pacific Sclence Congress
which should be held in Honolulu tn late August or early
September 1961. In any case, | hope the organizers of the
conference will appreciate the Importance of genetics In
Pacific Science; this Is perhaps more plausible since
Professor Snyder has been named the local president of
the Congress.

Needless to say, Hirota continues to be a very
valuable asset in this laboratory and | trust he continues
to enjoy and profit from hts experience.

Yours cordially,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics