SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, STANFORD. CALIFORNIA 94305

JOSHUA LEDERBERG
JOSEPH D. GRANT PROFESSOR January 18. 1974
OF GENETICS , ?

The George and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation
Office of the Graduate School

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island 02912

“

Gentlemen,

Professor John Hays Barton of the Stanford Law School has mentioned
that he has included my name in the list of references for his application
to the foundation for his work on arms control. I have known him as an
associate faculty member in the Stanford Arms Control Program and have enjoyed
and respected his leadership role in that effort. (I have taken some part
in it myself, not immediately in my capacity as a biological scientist but
rather through naving had some role in the development of arms control policy
in the field of biological warfare).

John Barton is certainly a very impressive scholar in this field. He
has a perspective as a lawyer, that laws are intended to be obeyed even in
the realm of international law for which I must sometimes offer some cynical
skepticism. But in our many debates on this question, he has always held up
his end with reasoned argument and a considerable fund of background in-
formation and insight. The nature and utility of international law certainly
deserves.much deeper analysis than it has received. Some of us believe that
the use of the word "law" in the relationships among sovereign states has
been the source of more confusion than guidance. Others like Professor Barton
believe they can demonstrate an interesting continuity between domestic and
international law and are beginning to apply empirical measures for the
investigation of systems of adherence and compliance that are of inestimable
importance in policy guidance for our owm future. He has also been most
perceptive in understanding the differences in the way in which arms control
agreements are perceived and internalized as between the great powers and
those with limited bureaucratic and educational resources.

In summary, Professor Barton has presented a program of considerable
internal validity and he brings to it very considerable enthusiasm, intelligence
and previous experience, so that the entire proposal deserves the highest
commendation which I readily offer.

Sincerely yours,

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