October 17, 19%

Dr. Hideo Ki kkawa
Osaka Uni versi ty Medical School
33. Joancho; it! eaku
Osaka, Japan

Dear Professor Ki kkawa:

  I am very sorry that events precluded an opportunity for us to
meet during your recent visit to the Unl ted States.  Also, I should
certainly have written wu sooner concerning tne exctiller~t progress
that Hr. Hi rota has been making in this laboratory, and I can assure
you that only the preoccupation with other duties,* s'sint3 of i::l3;1? i;on-.
netted with my !mpendlng move to Stanford University, have prevented
me from doing this,

  You may be aware that Mr. Hi rote is feel Ing sow sense of inse-
curl ty with respect to his position and that this is leading hin to
consider the possibility of terminating his stuclies prenlatuf-eiy ir.
order to take a position with Dr. Iseki.  I am encouraging Hr. Hi rota
to continue with his original plans, not primarily as a vatter of fir!-D
filling ;: ore#iously expressed obligation, but for the benefit of his
own career.  He really is a remarkabie student anti potl.:rl;ial indepcnden:
research wc rke r: and I have been more than de1 i ghted to have him in my
laboratory.  He has been `making excel lent prograss In his _;~::Ic?~z:; of
the effect3 of acriflavine on the F system of Zscherichia co1 i.  I fa51
that in the course of the next two years or so that ~ulJ Sa nc!c313:.3r:'
for him to complete the formal ities For a Ph.D. degree he has the oppor-
tunity to acquire an international reputation in this field, and further-
more to obtain a work!r;q fami 1 iari ty with the concepts, 1 i terature, and
personal itles in microbiul genetics in the Engi ish speaking ~.r:r!d.   !
feel to that our move to Stanford University, which &ill take place on
Februar: 1, to a new department of gcneti cs in thf: med; cal school t !WS
an unusual opportuni t-y for further development especial l;r aion-; bio-
chemical 1 inos on account of our association with Professitr Kornberg in
the Department of Biochemistry.

   I ani sum that part of Mr. Hirota's insecurity was based on financial
uncertainty, the question as to how he would be able to pay the debts he
had contracted in order to travel to the United States.  It seems to me
that his problem in this respect could only be seriously aggravated by
a decision to leave prematurely and on the other hand I have given him
what I trust will be very amble assuranstis for his firlanc:el security
during the remaining years of his connection with We laboratory. I
believe that he was under some misapprehension concerning his liability
for extra costs of tuition at Stanford University and I have been able
to reassure him on this point, very recently, that this would be taken
care of in calculating his stipend.

  The chief question that must remain in his mind is whether he
should abandon excel lent future prospects in order to grasp at a
present opportunity and this wi 11 be based on his judgment cf the
extent of those prospects.  I am sure that he wi 11 rely strongly on
your judgement as to what his ul tlmrte opportunities would be if he
were to return to Japan after an interval of another two years or so:


on the completion of his research studies here.  For the very sake of
Japanese science I can only hope that his opportunities would be commensurate
with his very high and demonstrated ability.

  In any event I must express my gratitude for your having sent him here as
he has been a pleasure to have as a student, an associate, and a friend.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lede rbe rg
Professor of Hedical Genetics