2101 CONSTITUTION AVENUE WASHINGTON 25, D. Cc. CABLE ADDRESS: NARECO WASHINGTON, D. C. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SPACE SCIENCE BOARD March 30, 1959 Dr. Joshua Lederberg Professor of Genetics School of Medicine Stanford University Stanford, California Dear Dr. Lederberg: I am writing in response to your letter of March 25, 1959, which with its enclosures is most interesting and informative. Let me first take up two specific questions you raised. Enclosed is a supply of Academy expense vouchers. Participants in the sessions you have held should submit these to us in duplicate, addressing them to Mr. R. C. Peavey, Secretary, Space Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington 25, D.C. Second, the matter of appropriate channels for communication with COSPAR. Since the Academy, acting through the Space Science Board, is the adhering body to COSPAR, it does provide the proper channel. Communications may be addressed to this office, In general, we here will discuss their nature with the Board or appropriate members of the Board so that an Academy position can be addressed to COSPAR. I hope sometime soon to have an oppor- tunity to discuss this general area with you; since time is not pressing at the present, I hope that we can meet either when you are in the East or per- haps sometime when I get out West, Turning next to the three proposals that accompanied your letter, may I say that these sound most worthwhile and important. With your permission, I should like to present these to the Space Science Board at its coming meeting on May 7-9. Proposals A and B definitely fall within the Board's area of interest, and I am hopeful that the Board can provide support; if not, it may be possible for the Board itself to secure this type of support for you, Proposal C does not fall within the purview of the Board, strictly speaking, but it is an area of great concern to the Board, and I should like to secure a Board position that may be useful in stimulating support from, say, the National Science Foundation or the NASA. In the meantime, we can take care of the few hundreds of dollars that would be involved in a third meeting of WESTEX. I hope that this relieves you of concerns with respect to such a meeting while giving the Board an opportunity to consider the longer-range support question, Dr. Lederberg -2- March 30, 1959 I hope to write to you next week on the CETEX meeting. Other matters have prevented my giving attention to this since my return from Holland, but I expect to be able to review my notes early next week. May I conclude by saying that your interest and assistance are most deeply appreciated. Sincerely yours, 4 - bu t. Clay bs vivn/ /dugh’ Odishaw Executive Director encl.