STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS

February 3, 1977

Professor Benjamin Gal-Or
Technion~Israel Institute of Technology
Technion City

Haifa, Israel

Dear Professor Gal-Or,

This is in response to your letter of January 24th concerning the conference
at Oxford in honor of Professor Levich. I would be happy to lend my efforts on
Professor Levich's behalf but the advice that I have is that this particular
kind of intervention may be misplaced and May even be counterproductive. As
my attachment to it would then have the risk of interfering with the use of my
voice in other ways, I must reluctantly decline, for the time being. My views
on this question are not rigidly fixed and new information or new insight might
alter my perception of it.

The particular source of my concern is that the conference is being held
in Oxford. More informed sources tell me that in the bureaucratic administration
of Soviet law, the motive of rejoining one's family (sometimes stretch to one's
extended kin) is a permissible basis on which an exit visa may be permissibly
given. We are, of course, well aware of all of the frustrations and difficulties
that the Soviet regime has imposed to hinder the exercise of this right.
Nevertheless, according to the perspective of which I am informed, it will only
make matters more difficult to introduce a diversionary element like the holding
of a conference in still another country as the premise for which a visa is re-
quested. This might appear to set an even more awkward precedent for other
situations than does getting permission to Jewish scientists to immigrate to Israel.

According to this logic, were a conference to be held in Israel, perhaps
with joint sponsorship from Oxford University, that would be a way of lending
reinforcement to the primary model of efforts to deflect the Societ position.

If it were somehow possible for you to alter your plans in this fashion, I can
even give you my advance approval of agreeing to your request that I be a sponsor.

Needless to say, if you have information or advice that might refute the
position that I mention in this letter, I would be happy to hear it.

Sincerely yours,--

  
 
 

. f_— >
, :
thor bea eAFZ
 /Joshua Lederberg
/ Professor of Genetics
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DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305 * (415) 497-5052