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x The \o THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
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a University /< 1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021
> a October 16, 1979

JOSHUA LEDERBERG

PRESIDENT

Dr. James F. Holland

Professor and Chairman

Department of Neoplastic Diseases
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
One Gustave Levy Place

New York, New York 10029

Dear Jim:

Thank you for your note of October 1 relative to
nominations for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. As you
may imagine this is an issue that I have had to engage
in a variety of ways for a number of years. I decided
long ago to take the responsibility of nomination as a
personal rather than institutional one and already have
several suggestions on the table that the Nobel Prize
Committee until now has chosen to ignore. However, I
will continue to press in those areas where I believe
my personal familiarity with the history of a scientific
development gives me particular credentials to formulate
and transmit a case. It takes nothing away from the im-
portance of cancer chemotherapy if I Say that I do not
believe I have that relationship to the field at the
present time. What the future may bring is another story.

In the circumstances, I think the best strategy would
be for you to submit the nomination over your own signa-
ture if, as you say, that is a formally acceptable pro-
cedure. If not, I have no objection to being an inter-
mediary but I would designate the material in question as
having been prepared by you or whatever group was respon-
sible for it. I see no advantages to using this procedure
if a formal nomination is possible by a more direct route.

By the way, the deadline for nominations is February
1, 1980.
Dr. James F. Holland
October 16, 1979

-2-

I would be surprised if Lew Thomas has not been
circularized in his administrative role and it would

seem to
biology
to come

Do
marizes

therapy?

me that a nomination in the field of cancer
might have some additional credence were it
from that institution.

you know of any review publication that sum-
the effective accomplishments of cancer chemo-
I am sure such an overview would be most help-

ful to the Nobel Committee and I would be glad to have
your own recommendation as to what I should be reading
for my own education.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg