To: "William J. McGuire" <william.mcguire @yale.edu>

Subject: Tactics and strategy of research/politics: applied to BW } TK.
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 18:26:52 EDT

From: Joshua Lederberg <js! @rockvax.rockefeller.edu>

Gratuitous thought, but as we seem to have some convergent
interests, I wanted to be sure we shared frames of reference
in

Schelling - Strategy of Conflict
Jervis - Perception and misperception in international politics

Of course a lot of "sending messages" to others is bolstering our

own self-confidence and resolve. During the cold war, we had to be
mad to pursue MAD; and without it we would have been salami-sliced
| mm. at a time.

I have a very practical problem down your alley: how to reinforce

the moral norms [sic] that have so far (as I read it) been the

main reason we have not experienced [even more extreme] dis-civility
wrt to the use of terrible biological weapons. See editorial

appended: (Your thoughts welcome)

I have a related interest in promoting self-protective, hygienic
behavior like washing hands; though if I believe last Sunday’s
NY Times the polls might say that has almost been overdone. I
don’t in fact believe it: a fraction of the population may be
obsessed, and most of it is still contaminating the food we eat.

ir /j/P/301d.jama
[JAMA] Editorial - August 6, 1997
Infectious Disease and Biological Weapons: Prophylaxis and

Mitigation (JAMA. 1997;278:435-436)
Joshua Lederberg