EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20506

 

November 1, 1991

Dear Josh:

Pursuant to receiving your letter, I sought and received a satisfactory detailed briefing
from Rayburn Hesse (U.S. Department of State), Morgan Ames (Office of National Drug
Control Policy), and James Anderson (U.S. Department of Agriculture). They insist that
the article is straight misinformation, that they are not now applying nor have they
permission to apply agents to destroy coca plants in Peru.

There is work in process in Hawaii on Fusarium at a University of Hawaii site. The
potential issues and problems associated with field application even if a satisfactory
biological were developed were discussed at length. I am persuaded that Hesse, in
particular, is keenly aware of the issues. However, they assert that two U.N. Expert
Commissions have endorsed and encouraged biological research. We established to my
satisfaction that we were in agreement that this is an exceptionally difficult and sensitive
issue, that present studies are specifically directed toward characterizing the reasons for
and mechanisms of plant pathology caused by Fusarium already present at the site and
that extended work in this area would require a full policy review in full collaboration
with the United Nations.

All best regards,
— D.A. Henderson, M.D., M.P.H.
* Associate Director for Life Sciences

od Bu

Joshua Lederberg, Ph.D.
Professor and: President Emeritus
The Rockefeller University

1230 York Avenue

New York, NY 10021-6399