March 8, 1961

Dr. Alfons Metzner
Chlef Editor of
"Chemische Industrie'’
2l, Karlstrasse
Frankfurt/M., Germany

Dear Doctor Metzner:

You may, of course, add my approval to that of Mr. Alexander's
for the use of the picture mentloned In your letter of March 1.

| was actually a little alarmed to see the quotation from Fortune
that you wrote in your letter. When I went back to the original, | .
found that there was a slight shift in emphasis: for example, the original
text suggests that the U.S. social and Intellectual climate may be ''in-suf-
ficiently hospitable to the sclentific mind'' which may convey a slightly
different Impression than your ‘inhospitable to science. Perhaps the
main answer to your remarks Is that we should be sufficiently concerned
for the achlevement of an excellence that we would Ideally pursue that
we ralse questions of this sort. 1! belleve that Indeed the climate here
is insufficiently hospitable’; there is still a great challenge to the
development of intellectual Interests In this country. However, | belleve
that It would be a great mistake to amplify these notes of selfecriticism
beyond their original Intent of exhorting our people to higher and higher
achievement.

What may be the Inherent mistake In the Fortune article, and there=
fore of your reporting of it, Is the futility of an attempt to summarize
American culture in a brief word. We live in a complex soclety with
IntImate connections, as you know, with the best of European life, and
with many additional elements that have evolved indigenously. In such
a society, with Its dedication for the persona! expression of Individual
capabilities and aspirations, it is not surprising that one should see a
very broad spectrum of Interest Ia scientific and cultural matters. As
teachers, we have the deep obligation to communicate the possibilities of
human attainment.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

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