August 23, 1967

The Hon. Thomas Kuchel
United States Senator
Senate Office Building
Washington, D. C.

Dear Senator:

I am writing to beg you to give your personal attention to the action of
the Senate appropriations committee on the NASA budget this year. TI am not
going to quarrel with the painful conclusion that very sharp economies may
be necessary. However, I feel that it is very deeply against the national
interest to apply necessary cuts to the acientific and long-range parts of
the national space program, while leaving intact the segments allocated to
Apollo. Apollo does represent a very important commitment, but under the
present circumstances the utilitarian and scientific exploration of space
is suffering very badly by their very connection in the same agency with
the lunar landing mission. For in order to represent a respectable cut in
the total budget, these programs are being virtually wiped out if we accept
the present conclusions of the House appropriations committee.

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I therefore appeal to you not so much for s restoration of the funds, al~
though we would hope for the kind of times which would permit this to happen,
but for the preseription that if there are to be such savage cuts in the
space program, we should reconsider the desirability of adhering to the
Apollo commitment in the face of these unecssary economies. The Space Author-
ization Acts did still leave some leeway for the eventual resuscitation of a
balanced program. These further cuts at the appropriation level will be
acientifically and technically ruinous unless some accommodation is possible.
Since this may be a politically sensitive area, it might be difficult for
your committee to assume the final responsibility for a reorientation of the
whole program. But in that event it could at least give the Executive branch
authority to reprogram its various component activities in auch a way as to
obtain the maximum utility from whatever funds Congress feels able to appro-
priate. This could then leave some time for some further debate as to the
national intention about sticking to the Apollo schetule at all costs.

Your consideration of this is very much appreciated.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics