Arginine supplements were given to 6 week old CBA mice beginning 3 days prior to inoculation with a murine sarcoma virus, the Moloney Sarcoma Virus (MSV). Although the basal diet contained 1.8% arginine and was therefore not arginine‐deficient, supplementation of the diet and the drinking water with 0.5% arginine HCl reduced tumor incidence, lengthened the latency period, decreased tumor size, and hastened tumor regression. Arginine also increased thymic weight and cellularity in normal and in MSV‐inoculated mice. The antitumor action of arginine may be related to its effect on the thymus.