STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

 

 

STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Department of Genetics

Professor Joshua Lederberg

Dear Dr. Seaborg:

I would be grateful to you
for further information on:
your actual views on the environmental
situation; are they accurately reported
here?

Thank you
Joshua Lederberg

My interest in this material relates
in part to background for a weekly
column on "Science and Man" which ap-
pears weekly in the Washington POST.

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STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305 ¢ (415) 821-1200

JUL 29 1969

J-17-69

E6038 CONGRES

we
viser, already anticipates drastic action and
mentions that clectric autos may replace.
Internal-combustion cars, surely a wild,
unrealistic beginning of a practical study.
EMOTIONALLY CHARGED

The Christian Sclence Monitor, quoting
Glenn T. Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic
Energy Commission and Nobel Prize laureate,
says, “There 1s 4 certain hysteria in the coun-
try about environmental problems. Environ-
ment has become an emotionally charged,
word toady, almost on a par with ‘crime in
the strects’ or ‘student revolts,’ It is obvious
that enough {is not being done tn con-
trolling and regulating the environments.
But much smore is being done than the
public Ils aware of and more than ever be-
fore."" Glenn Seaborg 1s right. The extreme
conservationists contributes Httle. We are
not yet a nation of polsoned, strangulating
hypochondriacs doomed to choke on foul alr,
swahliow our own smoke and gaze vacantly!
on a devastated countryside. Education,
leadership, money and time will see us
through, . :

Here we have tha clever reporter suddenly
turned scientist who treats the entire sub-
ject of man despoiling nature as if it were
a sudden dramatic disturbance like a ty-
phoon, earthquake or flood, civil war, rlot or
& raging fire, .

Nobody but a fool will deny that there
has been a selfish despoiling of nature, that
selfishness has often masqueraded as public
service and that industry has in many places
injured nature. But oversimplifying the
problem by manufactured evidence and mls-
representation will only promote prolonged
and bitter argument, Armchair philosophiz-
ing and academic chatter will not save us
from engincering rape. Our salvation re-
quires realism, sober, steady, reHable cou-
rageous day-by-day hard work, balance and
serenity.

One must admire the boundless, fathom-
Jess Indination of Marine over the rape of
the untverse. Vo be sure, the basic remedy Is

at hand--+stop breeding by the two-legeed,
Teduce populations and thus guarantee un-
interrupted enjoyinent by the survivors,