The kinetics of ribosomal RNA transcription and processing were assessed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) lymphocytes during the initial phases of their delayed response to phytohemagglutinin. When compared to cultures of normal lymphocytes, CLL cultures developed normal augmentations in 45S rRNA precursor transcription and cleavage after a 1 hr incubation with PHA. However, failure to conserve 18S RNA subunits persisted in the CLL cultures. Subsequently the PHA-induced progressive rise in 45S RNA transcription became aborted and the over-all rate of RNA synthesis lagged far behind the levels attained by normal cultures incubated with PHA for 48 hr. CLL cultures responding to PHA in a delayed fashion exhibited efficient conservation of 18S RNA at 168 hr. In normal cultures, PHA-induced conservation of 18S RNA appeared to be independent of any effect on 45S ribosomal RNA precursor transcription. Therefore, the sluggish growth response of CLL lymphocytes was associated with a defect in one of the important mechanisms regulating assembly of new ribosomes.