THE ROCKEFELLER INSTITUTE

NEW YORK 21,NEW YORK

June l, 1959
Dr, Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Dear Dr. Lederberg:

I would like to express my appreciation of your own
interest and the vigorous efforts you have made to stir up the
interest of others in biological aspects of "space science",

I am especially appreciative of the assistance you have given
to the Space Science Board in the matter of contamination of
extraterrestrial objects,

As you probably know last summer Dr, Bronk 7sked me
to serve as a member of the Space Science Board, for the area
of biology, Most of the relevant fields of work are rather
far from my own specialty, and I must rely on enlisting the
advice and help of interested colleagues, Lloyd Berkner,
chairman of the Board, asked each member to form a committee to
assist in dealing with matters in his assigned area, The
Bioscience Committee (Committee 11 of the SSB) is a small group
of seven besides myself, including Dr. S.S. Stevens who
represents on the Board the field of psychology, We hope to
enlarge this group somewhat as we are able to persuade interested

colleagues to help us. Ed Tatum is one of our members, I
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would very much like to have you join this committee, so that we
may work together more effectively. JI hasten to add that we
are all allergic to unnecessary committee work, and share your
own well known disinclination to travel. Most of our work gets
done by correspondence or phone calls, We have met only once
Since the committee formed last summer, We would not expect
you to make special trips to attend future meetings that we
might have to call.

If you can be persuaded to join our committee, it would,
I believe, make your formal relations with the Space Science
Board a little more convenient, It would be possible for you to
make use of the Board's Secretariat, and be reimbursed for
expenses you might incur in connection with the very interesting
meetings of your "Westex" group, including their travel expenses
to your meetings and your own incicentalexpenses in these
activities. There would be limitations, of course, but I believe
that the arrangements could be very flexible and liberal, at
least until your own proposals for direct support from one of
the funding agencies become activated. We would hope that
you would continue your activities in the field according
to your interests, and take initiative in extending them in
any direction you see fit. Special arrangements that may call

for assistance from the Board may be made through me, if I can
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NEW YORK 21, NEW YORK

be of help, or directly throuch the Board Secretariat. Dr. GA,
Derbyshire has cognizance of our committee's activities, I

hope that this formalization of our relations will be acceptable
to you, and that we may continue to have your advice and
assistance, in a measure increased according to your inclination,
in this interesting new development of science,

I should perhaps add to this already lengthy letter
some remarks about the committee's particular interests and
activities. We have agreed to restrict our attention to the
more strictly "basic" scientific problems of "space biology"
(and psychology, where that comes in). In particular we have
not concerned ourselves very much with problems associated with
the "Man in Space" program, Many of these problems are
engineering matters, and the active groups of professionals
more than cover this aspect of applied biolory and many of
the related basic fields, Perhaps we should enlarce our eroup

additional
to include =m: competent physiologists who would take an
active interest in sound work in this area. Howard Curtis and
Lee Farr, both of Brookhaven, have some interest in this area,
especially in matters relating to radiation,

Dr, Otto Schmitt is a member of our committee, and is
an enthusiast for satellite experiments on various biological

problems, Many of us, I am afraid, are somewhat skeptical of
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NEW YORK 21, NEW YORK

the far-reaching significance to fundamental biology of some of
the proposed experiments, But we are willing to work to provide
opportunity for any serious and competent worker to get his
experiment backed.

Like yourself, all of us are extremely interested in the
problem of extraterrestrial life. Several of our committee met
with Bruno Rossi's "Eastex" group last December. But none of us
has been as active aS you in actually doing something about this
exciting new field. I believe our most urgent problem is to
convince our biologist collearues who might have something to
contribute that the intimate exploration of the Moon and the
near planets is a very real possibility for the very near future,
and that we actually have it within our power to find out
whether life forms exist outside the Earth, and if so what they
are like, We must stimulate more groups like "Eastex" and
MWestex",

We share your concern, of course, about the scientific
dangers of biological (and chemical) contamination of the Earth's
near neighbors, Our greatest concern naturally is about Mars, and
surely Venus too, about which so little is known. I think you
have persuaded us that it is necessary to treat the Moon's surface

with equal caution, until we can be certain that contamination
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NEW YORK 21, NEW YORK

would do no harm, It may be hard to make this stick in some
quarters, but we must try.

Your willingness to help set up a program for the
decontamination of space vehicles designed to reach the Moon
and planets is much appreciated, I hope you will continue to
work in this direction, as soon as you have caught your breath
after your European trip, Please advise us of what we should

do to help, so the program can be hastened,

Sincerely yours,

WD) tbe .

H, K, Hartline