When cells of Escherichia coli B were grown in a glucose – amino acid medium and then transferred to a minimal medium containing lactose or isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside as a sole source of carbon, no induction of β-galactosidase occurred unless one or several amino acids were supplied. Of the amino acids tested, aspartic acid was the most effective and its ability to initiate the synthesis of the enzyme was increased by the addition of arginine. In the presence of these two, or all of the amino acids, there was a lag period of 10 min before enzyme synthesis occurred. The duration of the lag period was unaffected by the addition of nucleic acid bases or succinate to the induction medium. Succinate or glutamate partially inhibited the synthesis of the enzyme, whereas glucose, inositol, or chloramphenicol completely suppressed it. With the exception of that produced by chloramphenicol, inhibition was dependent on the time at which the inhibitor was added. If inhibitors were added after the 10-min lag period, they had no apparent effect until 45 min had elapsed. Cells transferred after 15 min from one induction medium to another displayed for 30 min the induction characteristics of the first medium. It appears that a process occurring during the early 15-min period determines the rate at which enzymes will be synthesized for the next 30 min and that the action of inhibitors is to prevent this process. The process seems to require intact DNA and amino acids and it is suggested that it determines the specificity and quantity of mRNA manufactured.