June 15, 1966

Mr, Sargent Shriver
Office of Economic Opportunity
Washington, D. C.

Dear Sargent:

Some while ago I wrote you that I was negotiating with the Washington

Post with respect to the possibility of contributing a series of articles
on the scientist's view of human affairs. I do not know whether you
played any part in this, but I have made some headway and may then have

a chance to proceed with this experiment in commentary. I am writing now
to ask your cooperation in letting me have as mich factual material as
your office can collect on the impact of programs like Headsatart and other
Office of Economic Opportunity projects on cultural advancement. If the
Kennedy Foundation could perform a similar service with respect to news on
the mental retardation front I would certainly make every conscientious
effort to stress this subject matter in comment. Needless to say, I will
have to exercise my independent judgment about the scope of such comment
which must have considerable foundation for me to be particulary qualified
to deal with it.

Our "friend" Professor Shockley has been exerting considerable pressure
on his own for a public airing of his differential fertility program.
This may have a constructive outcome since his pressure on the National
Academy of Sclences stands a good chance of resulting in a rather compre-
hensive symposium on human evolution which might deal with the issues he
raises on a more scientific basis than he himself might have preferred.

I do not know whether this will become important, but I wonder if I could
count on the Foundation to give sympathetic consideration to a grant in
the neighborhood of $25,000 for the support of such a symposium should it
in fact materialize under Academy sponsorship.

I trust you may find these activities responsive to the suggestion you
made some while ago about a deeper involvement of (erstwhile?) research
scientists in human problems.

Sincerely yours,

= Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

MAAtNHS