November 19, 1956

Hon. Lister Hil]
Senate Office Building
Washington 25, BD. C.

Dear Senator Hill:

Let me first say how much | appreciate your cordial and gracious letter
of November 14. The nation is of course very much In your own debt for your
splendid efforts in behalf of Science, Education and Medical Research. |
imagine that only a minute fraction of my collegues will have found an occa-
sion such as this one furnishes to express thelr profound appreciation.

i was particularly impressed by your bold efforts in behalf of Federal
Aid to higher education during the last legislative session. While the
National Defense Science Education Act was only a small measure in the right
direction as it was finally passed and fell far short of the goals you had ~~
yourself pressed for, it was, 1 hope, a smal! step that will be fol lowed by "
others. 1 am taking the Ilberty of enclosing a memorandum stating my own in
personal views on a mechanism for Federal Aid that might help to minimize Y
the fears of bureaucratic control. The impact of a oneetime Junior Senator
from Wisconsin on academic freedom In this country has bean of course one he
of the chief motivating factors behind that fear. Happily we have grown out ~
of such adolescent nonsense, at least to a degree, but ! am sure that most of
us would prefer a mechanism of administration of Federal benefits that could
minimize political interference in education of that kind.

} am happy to have the reprint from the Congressional Record concerning
your Bill Senate Joint Resolution 199. You are undoubtedly aware that the
National Institutes of Health has, within the framework of existing legise
lation, been able to give token support to a very few fine institutions
doing outstanding work In Medical Research. { was already aware of the
content of your Bill and applaud its objectives with great enthusiasm.

Quite apart from Its humaniterian objectives in alleviating disease through--
out the world it Is of course undeniably true that medical progress in any
country is of immediate and inestimable benefit to the citizens of the
United States. One need merely point to penicillin and the sul fonamides as
instances of scientific advances initiated tn research laboratories in other
countries which have undoubtedly saved many thousands or millions of American
lives. 1 have every confidence in the judgement and goodheartedness of the
Administrative Officers of the National Institutes of Health and would be
inclined to rely on them for advice on the most effective proportionation

of domestic versus foreign support and on the best mechanisms for achieving
it. 1 do not know whether the existing health counsels have formulated a
specifle policy pertaining to the objectives of your Bill. Nevertheless,
there can scarcely be any doubt but that it Is one of the most enlightened
proposals ever to have been placed before the Congress and you have my
ernest good wishes for it.
Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

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