CHEMISCHE
INDUSTRIE

ZEITSCHRIFT FUR DIE

Dr. A. Metaner, c/o DEUTSCHE CHEMIEWIRTISCHAFT

HAUPTSCHRIFTLEITUNG: FRANKFURT AMMAIN - KARLSTRASSE 21 - TELEFON 330771

Professor

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Medical Center

Stanford University

Palo Alto, California

U. S. Aw Frankfurt/M., March 1, 1961
Dr. Me./Co.

Dear Professor Lederberg:

In my book "Chemistry and Its Industry", consisting of eight volumes,
I should also like to include a picture of you, that is the one
which has been published by the magazine FORTUNE in 1960 in their
series "Great American Scientists".

Mr. Brooke Alexander of FORTUNE has informed me on February 15
that he is willing to give me the permission to use your picture,
provided of course you are in accord. Therefore I wish to ask you
herewith for your kind permission, and hope that you can comply
with my request.

In the new edition of my book discussing in detail the chemical
industry of all countries of the world, I wish to emphasize the de-
cisive role of scientific research. Above all I want to point out
that chemical research holds the key to modern industrial power.

I have been the first chemist of the Western World to visit chemical
plants in the Sovietunion. That was in the year 1952, and in

1955 and 1957 I have spent a number of weeks in the #uropean and
Asian part of the USSR where I had the Opportunity to see and study
chemical institutes and universities.

Because of these visits to the Sovietunion I can say that the Soviet
youth is very interested in scientific research in general and in
basic chemical research in particular. The same can, unfortunately,
not be said of the industrial countries of the Western World. In
the above mentioned report of FORTUNE I find the following words:

"Our future in chemistry seems less bright than our past, unfortunate-
ly. The main trouble, most chemists believe, lies in the social and
intellectual climate of the U.S., which they believe to be inhospitable
to science. "Unless we change our attitude" says one of the most
eminent American chemists, "I don't think we can survive",

On

VERLAG HANDELSBLATT G-M.B-H - DUSSELDORF - PRESSEHAUS - TELEFON 10181
These are very serious words of a paper to be taken in earnest.
May I ask you, dear Professor, to tell me a few words about your
Opinion of the research problem? Would you also please be so kind
as to answer the following cuestions about your personal life?
They are:

With which scientific problems are you occupied at present?
What are your non-professional interests? (e.g. love for
theater, music, sports, nature, etc.)

Please forgive me these personal questions; I do not ask them out

of curiosity, but because I want to explain in my work that the great
scientists of chemistry are no one-sided specialists but open-minded
idealists, who are also fond of the nice things of life.

As regards myself, I want to give you in brief the following infor-
mation: JI am chief editor of the German chemical monthly "Chemische
Industrie", author of the book "Chemical Industry in the World"
published in 1955, and chief of the documentation department of the
"Verband der Chemischen Industrie® (Federation of German Chemical
Manufacturers. I am also closely connected with the "Gesellschaft
Deutscher Chemiker" (German Chemical Society).

I should be very grateful if you could spare the time to give me
the information requested. Thanking you for your kind cooperation
I remain, dear Professor,

sincerely yours,

(Dr. A. Metzner)

P.S.: My address is: Dr. Alfons Metzner
Chief Editor of
"Chemische Industrie"
21, Karlstrasse
Frankfurt/M., Germany