Maroh
Linddef 11, 1960

Mr. George Derbyshire

Space Science Board
National Aeadesy of Solences
1145 19 Street Kw
Washington 6, D.C.

Sorry to have to bether you when you mist be just recovering from the
Board meeting and its preperation,

I mentioned over the phone to you (or to Hugh) that the Russian miero-
biologist A. A. Imshenetskii is visiting this country under the auspices
of the N&C and of the Soolety of American dacteriolozisis, He is the direc-
tor of the Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences, USSR.

during his visit to California, March 28.31 this month, he 4s being
looked after oy Dr, Roger Stanier at 3erkeley, whom you may remember as
an erstwhile member of Westex, As Imshenetskii's name has recently figured
in reports of USSR plane for exobLology, Roger thought it would be especially
apropos for us all to get together, and especially with Van iiiel at Pacific
urove, whom Imshenetskii 4s espechally anxious to vieit, If it ean be worked
out we would all drive down together on Thursday March 31, and back again
to Berkeley.

The snag is that Pacific Grove (probably as a mateh for some Crimean
resorts) ig on our retaliatory proscribed list for Russian visitors, I am
writing to ask whether it would 2e possible to get the Soard, on behalf
of the Academy, to ask State to waive the ban for this oceasion, in view
of the possible specific benefits of our communication in these circumstances,
There is no guarantee that we will learn anything from Inshenetskii during
such a visit, but if we don't zet tozether, the chance will be less. In view
of the very poor communication until now -= which may be partly due to the
sparseness of occasions for informal contacts among the right people, --

I hope that speoial weight would be given to facilitating this day's trip.

Be

/Joshua Lederberg