AUG 7 1967
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE AUG 0 1967

 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
5454 WISCONSIN AVENUE
CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND 20203 REFER TO:
AREA CODE 301 TEL: 657-2944

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Dr. Joshua Lederberg JUL 2 8 1967
Professor of Genetics

Department of Genetics

School of Medicine

Stanford University

Palo Alto, California 94304

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

I am delighted to learn that you have accepted the Surgeon
General's invitation to serve on the National Advisory
Mental Health Council. I wish to welcome you to member-
ship on the Council and to offer you every possible
assistance. I also want to assure you that we were, indeed,
familiar with your column in the Washington Post, and that
your membership on the Council would in no way restrict this
activity. There is, of course, as you noted, an obligation
to keep confidential the information received as a Council
member until released by the Surgeon General.

I am not sure how much you know about the national mental
health program and its objectives in its totality, but since
our program objectives and policies are a matter of immediate
concern to you as a member of the National Advisory Mental
Health Council, I am forwarding, under separate cover, a
number of pamphlets and reprints together with a copy of the
Mental Health Act, in order that at your leisure you may be
able to orient yourself further about our work.

As you will note from these articles, the mental health
program of the United States Public Health Service began

over a quarter of a century ago, and the changes in its
objectives from its inception have reflected quite accurately
the changing concepts of mental health work in our nation
generally. Our first concerns were with the mentally ill

and the delinquent. Very soon we were requested to concern
ourselves with inspecting and making recommendations for

the improvement of the public mental hospitals in the several
States. I am sure that you are aware that many of these
hospitals were deplorable places a quarter of a century ago.
The need for more knowledge and more trained people in the
mental health field became apparent early in our work. As a
result, several field studies were initiated, but an all-out
effort in the field of mental health and illness was not
possible until the passage of the National Mental Health Act
in 1946. This authorized the establishment of the National
Institute of Mental Health and the appointment of a National
Advisory Mental Health Council. It also directed our efforts
into three main channels of activity -- assisting through
grants in the training of additional personnel for mental
health work; assisting through grants and investigations in
the development of expanded and more energetic research into
the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses; and
assistance in the establishment, development, and more
effective utilization of resources in mental health programs
through field studies and applied research and through grants
and consultation with the States.

You may be interested in knowing some of the other members
of the National Advisory Mental Health Council. A list of
the present members is enclosed, with the termination date
of appointment indicated after each name.

I hope that this letter and the material forwarded to you
under separate cover will be helpful to you in orienting
yourself with regard to our work.

For your information in future planning, following are the
dates for the Council meetings during fiscal year 1968

(from July 1, 1967, through June 30, 1968): November 20-22,
1967; March 25-27, 1968; and June 13-15, 1968.

Before the November meeting, we would like to arrange for a
day of orientation here at the Institute for all new members
of the Council. We are anxious that you understand as much
as possible about our work, our problems, our policies, and
our methods of operation before your first Council meeting.
I am sure that this knowledge would be helpful to you in
understanding quickly some of the problems which will con-
front you at the meeting. We will get in touch with you
later on regarding this.

I am enclosing a draft of a press release announcing your
appointment to the Council. I would appreciate your going
over this, making any corrections or comments which you see
fit, and returning it to us as quickly as possible. It is
customary for the Surgeon General to announce the appointment
of new Council members in this way.

I am looking forward with real pleasure to working with you.
Sincerely,
YN ye Re
Stanley F. Wiles, M. D.
c

Director
Enclosures