Memo from To: Dr Blackwell
JOSHUA LEDERBERG

MAR 15 1974

re; Hammerschlag correspond.

Thank you for sending me this material, and

for having taken the trouble to send it. Your

effort may have been well-spent if it fore-

stalls even more vexatious and less well-infor-
wed allegations in future. Human genetics

is under concerted attack from many diverse

quarters (think of the slogans connected

with racism and 'right-to-life') and it will

not be easy to escape spending a great deal

of time on trivia.

You were justifiably startled to be the target
of groundless suspicions -- as would be anyone
who understood the role and traditions of the
Navy Medical Corps. Not many people have the
experience or sophistication to understand the
differences between different branches of our
defense establishment, and the record of other
branches for candor (consider the Army's hand-
ling of the Skull Valley accident, for exam-
ple) can hardly help but fuel such suspicions.

At any rate, I hope we can look forward to am
early termination of this particular hassle.

Would you be kind enough to send me copies of
your bibl. items 105 (sic), 106 and 107?
Dr Chow had sent me some earlier reports on
that study, and I would be interested to learn
of its outcome.

Sincerely,

 

PROFESSOR JOSHUA LEDERBERG
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine

Stanford Universit

Stanford, California 94305