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5[ Rockefeller THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
7 University /< 1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021
> a April 13, 1979

JOSHUA LEDERBERG

PRESIDENT

Dr. Martin M. Kaplan

Director-General

Pugwash Conferences on
Science and World Affairs

11A Avenue de la Paix

1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Martin:

I just wanted to note that I had a chance to dine
recently with Robert McNamara, the Director of the
World Bank. I brought up with him a question that you
and I have discussed: namely whether Pugwash continues
to be an important vehicle for informal discussion among
great power interests, particularly in the light of the
greatly enlarged channels of communication represented
by SALT. His reply, which you may recognize as being
somewhat different from my own appreciation, was "More
than ever". I may be putting words in his mouth but I
think that he feels that, whilst SALT has greatly en-
larged the channel, the variety of opportunities and
issues that divide the world have also increased very
considerably, so that there indeed do remain enormous
opportunities.

I mentioned the possibility of his meeting you and
he seemed very positive about that. I think you would get
a very positive response if you were to drop a line to him
in his Washington office to set up a conversation either
in Washington or in Geneva. I don't believe he has a
definite agenda but it seemed self evident that there was
a good deal to be gained by better mutual knowledge be-
tween two individuals in your respective positions.

For my own part I guess I have rediscovered an agenda
item for a Pugwash (mainly bilateral) level discussion:
namely whether there is not some basis by which to reach
a mutual abolition of all land-based strategic missiles.
This idea, which is closely akin to the missile test ban
Dr. Martin M. Kaplan
April 13, 1979

-~2-

that I have been nudging for quite a few years, is
undoubtedly caught in a vicious cycle of negative
expectations, of each side with respect to the other,
which makes it a very appropriate subject for a Pug-
wash level discussion. It might be better not to
make public a fuss about this option until after the
SALT II is completed and ratified; but the idea is in
the public domain and you certainly ought to make what
of it you can. (I am not trying to promote my taking
a personal active role on this particular subject at
Pugwash; and just don't know whether that would or
would not be possible, from a personal standpoint, in
their future).

I hope Lena has not fretted too much in her cast
and that she is recovering smoothly.

Yours_sincerely,

     

Joshua Lederberg

Encl. SAM 220