July 24, 1964

Dr. Ralph E. Knutti

Director, National Heart Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda 14, Maryland

Dear Dr. Knutti:

Your letter of July 9 was a delight to receive. For reasons I do not now
understand, I had had quite contrary expectations with regard to the position
that the Institute might take on the matters concerning the artificial heart
that I had raised in my letter, and I really was very pleased to find that
you were ahead of me on most of them. Let me then offer my full support to
what you are trying to do.

I am not able to undertake very much traveling these days and still keep
track of all the loose ends here, so that I do not expect to be in Bethesda
in the foreseeable future. However, I would be quite delighted to talk to
Dr. Beem or Dr. Hastings, and expect to be on deck for just about any time
that they might care to mention. I have been in close touch with Dr. Comroe
and we are very much of one mind on the kind of push that is now needed.

[LLONN

I really have only one further remark to make about your letter, and that

has to do with the pessible role of NASA in these matters. I could hardly
speak for the agenc$és policy, but I do know that the office of life sciences
have constantly encouraged us in our own programs where they might have
applications of general health significance as well as a direct pertinence

to the space program, and have particularly encouraged us to get joint back-
ing from NIH where there could be a mutual interest, So I suspect that at
least as far as the operating levels are concerned, the issue may be more

the one of waiting for the proper initiative from the NIH in areas where
there might be joint interest than any actual lack of concern on the part of
the corresponding offices inthe space agency. In any case, the technological
steps needed to get the systems study off the ground really do not call for
any very deep involvement by comparison with NASA's over-all program, and

to that extent you méght be able to mobilize considerably more help in an
area where they do have some force and experience than I would have read into
the wording of your remark,

Well, I really should apologize for butting in, since what I have to say
comes from a different end of the game than you have to keep in mind in
Washington. If we can get together, and with Julius, I would be delighted
at the chance. Meanwhile, if there were anything that I could contribute
without having to make a trip of it, I would be delighted to assist in any
way possible.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
to Dr. Comroe
Copy to Professor of Genetics