MAY 2 197]

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.

PQARKRD OF TRUSTEES

sivphen P. Duggan, Esq.
Cagirman

Maus, 1 ouls Auchincloss

tui t, Bittker, Esq.

pena PL Booth

{unas Cashel, Esq.

tu. Rene J. Dubos

Nohert W. Gilmore

tu. Joshua Lederberg

fuuace Marshall, Esq.

®ody G. Martin, Esq.

ton UW. Oakes

{ne Rey. Channing E, Phillips

ve, Gilford B, Pinchot

vhattes A. Reich, Esq.

tuhn R. Robinson, Esq.

4 autance Rockefeller

}. Willard Roosevelt

(avid Sive, Esq.

Dr George M. Woodwell

tdwia M, Zimmerman, Esq.

-1600 TWENTIETH STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20009

202 387-28
37 i New York Office
36 WEST 44TH STREET
NEW YORK, N.Y. 10036

212 986-8310
May 4, 1971

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Department of Genetics

School of Medicine

Stanford University Medical Center
Stanford, California 94305

Dear Doctor Lederberg:

My apologies for the slow response to your memo
and materials on domestic communications satellites.

While the issue is of great importance, no one
among us feels he has the time or background to take
it up. John Keker has done some FCC work but is only
temporarily with NRDC and feels that a major effort
would be required to do a decent inquiry into the
FCC proceedings. I spoke with Si Lazarus, who worked
with Nick Johnson after graduating from Yale Law

' School, and with Bob Thorpe, Johnson's present aide.

Both confirm the material in Shayon's article, feel
that the Ford Foundation is not updating its earlier
study, but warn that the proceedings are very complex
and that inquiry into them by persons without consider-
able background would be a large task.

Thanks for the suggestion. We do want to be
responsive to the problems you and other trustees refer
to us. In this case, however, we do not seem to have
the resources to make the study.

Sincerely yours,
Of 4
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ohn E. Bryson>

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