February 20, 1962

Dr. MM. Kessler

Lincoln Laboratory

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Dear Dr. Kessler:

Thank you for so promptly sending me the papers | had asked you
for. | should not be surprised at the congruence of our views on the
needs of our science communication network. But | must admit that |
was startled at the similarity between your proposals summarized on Lf
Figure | of your ‘An Experimental Communications Center for Scientific
and Technical information’ and the scheme | have been pressing to have
considered by the President's Scientific Advisory Conmittee. A special
panel for science information, of which | am a member, has been sitting
for the last several months to look at the whole question and | nave
been particularly annoydd by the tendency of most considerations of the
problem to deal with the ‘'components'’ and the retrieval elements instead
of the basic systems requirements. Like yourself, 1 believe we have to
start with an explicit experiment of measured dimensions, but | am afraid
that it will not reach the critical mass needed to achieve respectability
and conventionality without clever planning and government participation.
Perhaps fortunately for the purpose scientific communication in biology
is very much more disorganized than in the physical sciences and there-
fore creates even more compelling demands for solution.

-

May | ask you two favors? 1. Would you be in a position to send
me the ‘experimental work’ that you refer to in your just cited paper.
! am not clear whether this is an allusfon to your JA-1880 or your
WJCC-6.2, 1861 covgributions.

2. Could you send about 20 copies of the ‘experimental communi ca-
tions center'' to Dr. David Z. Robinson, Secretary, Science Information
Panel, Office of the Science Advisor to the President, The White House,
Washington, D.C., for distribution to our committee. Perhaps this should
be accompanied by a note that | had requested this of you.

Any other thoughts you may have on this problem that might help
the specific Implementation of yoar proposals would be most welcome.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
JLipg Professor of Genetics