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In reply please refer to: N64/372/31 17 April 1969 &

Priére de rappeler la référence:

Dear Josh,

I apélogize for the delay in answering your letter of 3 April. I have
been away. With regard to your comments:

Item 1. Agreed.

2. Many of us have been trying to convince, directly or indirectly, the
military authorities of the great powers that CBW is of no particular value
to them, but once a weapon becomes militarily operational they hang on to
it. This is true of chemical weapons, but not as yet (we believe) for
biological agents. A credible military argumentt. Nerve gas could have
reduced considerably the casualties in the island-hopping attacks in the
Pacific during the last war. One of the more immediate and realistic aims
is to outlaw all aspects of biological agents for warfare.

Your second paragraph of this item will be covered below, i.e. putting
ideas into heads.

3. See the enclosed draft for some BW agents that probably can be kept more
or less localized. For the use of recombinants see the description of
influenza. Your last paragraph of this item is exactly what we have
been concentrating on in Pugwash.

4. A good point, but again the question of truth (at this time) or consequences
(later). I don't know the answer.
a
>. This line of thought will certainly be incorporated into the final draft
on possible ecological consequences.

Now, about ideas in heads, even of psychotics. You may not know that
there was a threat not lon ago of LSD in a water supply of a large western
European city by rebellious youth. There are enough brains amongst them to
think of all possibilities. It is a diffécult and delicate decision to make
about projecting hypotheses to the public (or to scientists for that matter.
See, for example, the section on yellow fever in the enclosed.). I incline to
the view that in all but very exceptional circumstances it is best to bring
everything out into the open. The whole question of CBW has been surrounded
by a mystique by the military, for example, that clearly serves their purposes
which are usually not consonant with peace. The latter is not their job.

All this, however, requires a long discussion.

Dr Joshua Lederberg

Professor of Genetics

Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford

California 94305

USA
Dr Joshua Lederberg 17 April 1969
N64/372/31

The enclosed draft will give you an idea how we are progressing. We shall
fill in gaps during the coming weeks, and I shall send you any material that may
be of interest. I have prepared the descriptions of biological agents in the
enclosed that you may wish to read and send commnets. They will be very welcome.
I regret very much that you cannot be with us on 19 and 20 May to go over the
final draft.

Many thanks for your help.

Sincerely yours,

Martin Kaplan

ENCL: draft report