CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA

DIVISION OF BIOLOGY Feb 6 1960
® >

Prof. J. Lederberg

Genetics Department
Stanford University Medical Center
Palo Alto

Dear Josh,

I want to try a new idea out on youe It merely entails a reassessment
of the goals of space biology. I would like to drop it in the pot in connection
with the coming SSB discussions toward an explicit space program. These dis-
sident thoughts were generated by my pondering the back-contamination problem.
In my view, our concern with the dangers of back-contamination has obscured what
should be the prime objective of the exobiological program: to bring back
samples of the planets (uncontaminated by earth organisms) for examination at
homee I think that this goal should be explicitly stated and that all other
aspects of the program should be subordinated to it. I am convinced that the
embargo policy is wrong. As Sturtevant said when I discussed the problem with
him yesterday, it would be more logical to declare an embargo on all materials
from the Antarctic.

A more formal statement is enclosed. This was originally intended to
be a suggestion for rewriting the second half of the paragraph on p. 28 of
your revised Hxobiology draft--starting with "However, even the remotest risk
eoee At first I tried to arrive at a compromise between our opposite views,
but I found this to be impossible. I would, of course, like to get your reac-
tion to this, as well as those of the other Westexers. I leave it to you to
suggest whether this be by mail or by meeting. In either case, I would prepare
a more detailed statement for circulation among the memUers.

Yours,

ot

Norm Horowitz

P.S. As regards a director of the NASA Space Biology Program, I asked Beets, and,
as I expected, he is not interested. He is now Acting Dean of the Faculty and
will, in all probability, resign the chairmanship of Biology and become permanent
Dean. He is also now on the President's Scientific Advisory Committee. In mthmarsy
other words, he is busy. Sturt suggested Demerec for the job, thinks he still

has plenty of energy. My own candidate is yourself.