FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
U.S, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

 

IN REPLYING, ADDRESS THE

The. Research Laberatory,
411 E. 69th St., New Yerk 21, N. Y.

Nevember 10, 1948.

Dr. Joshua Lederberg,
Department ef Genetics,

The University ef Wiscensin,
Cellege ef Agriculture,
Madisen 6, Wiscensin.

SRE me | Vvee eho

Yeur reply frem the editers ef the JBC is certainly surprising.
I have not yet heard frem them, but will undeubtedly receive the same
treatment. My first impulse was te write them immediately requesting
withdrawal ef my letter and te send mine te the Jeurnal ef Bactericlegy
as you suggest. I agree with you that a pair of netes side by side in
this jeurnal would solve the preblem. On further censideration it seemed
te me, hewever, that this is such an idietie decision en the part ef the
. JBC that it would be better te see if something may net yet be dene with
mF them. Dr. DuVigneaud here is quite interested in this werk and is an
oe editer ef the JBC. I sheuld therefere like te wait fer twe more events
befere sending my nete te the Journal of Bacterielegy. The first ef
these weuld be te make sure that the JBC might not pessibly recensider
your letter when the editer has feund that beth of us censider this a
significant enough matter fer simultaneous publicatien. The secend
weuld be te see whether Dr, DuVigneaud might net be willing te intervene
with his jeurnal.

Dr. DuVigneaud is unfortunately out of tem and will not be
back until Saturday er Menday. I hepe you will not mind the extra delay
ef a few mere days, because it really seems te me werthwhile te try te
get this befere a biechemical audience, Incidentally, I have not yet
finished pelishing up the lenger manuscript, which I do hepe te get eff
te the PNAS within a few mere days. As te the nete te "Nature", I had
ne intention at all ef sending that as well as a letter te an American
journal.

If you would prefer te send your letter eff te the Journal
ef Bacteriology at this time I could have ne ebjection, but it weuld
seem te me very much preferable to wait another week er twe if necessary
te see whether we cannet get them published simultaneously in the JBC;
if that dees not werk I weuld then send it te the Journal ef Bacterielegy.

Sincerely yours,
77 ,
C7 orecee

(
Bernard D. Davis,
BDD/h1 _ Surgeen.