May 6, 1969

Congressman Pete McCloskey
Congress of the United States
House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C,

Dear Mr. McCloskey:

I was very interested in your recently disteibuted report of leg-
islation which you have sponsored during this session. I would in
particular like to offer you my heartfelt support in your efforts

to end the war in Viet Nam and to further the conservation of gur
natural resources and in particular prevent the filling of the San
FRancisco Bay. I would also like to add my support for your opposition
for the proposed ABM program which seems to me to be a completely
unnecessary bolstering of the United State's already strong defensive
position at the same time g seriously distorting the governments
relative outlay in defense programs as oppossed to socially relevant
programs within the United States. At the same time I would like to
urge you to oppose the program to develop the SST. I cannot under-
stand the rationale behind putting so much money into a program de-
signed to help so few people (including incidentally myself) to fly
across the states every now and then, Again also at the risk of
terrible inconvenience to those people whéonnéaztenahetyh to lie in
the flight path of the proposed plane.

When recently you came to Ladera to talk with those of us living in
the area, you mentioned that you liked from time to time to receive
information from those people who had special knowledge in certain
areas. I would like to respond to your supggestionsawith reference
to legislation you mentioned aimed at limiting the categories of
census queations punishable by fine for refusal to answer. I have
been concerned for some time that the increasingly frequent attackes
on the census bureau mainly in relation to the impending 1970 di-
cennial census. I am, of course, keenly aware of the problems of
maintdiging strict confidentiality with such types of data and the
fear that large scale data of this sort could readily be abused if
it got into improper hands. On the other hand, I am equally and in
fact much more greatly concerned with problems that would arise if
we did not have access to the sort of data which the census is able
to collect. This data, as I am sure you are aware, provides the

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Congressman Pete McCloskey
May 6, 1969
Page 2 ,

essential foundations for many predictions in relation to social And
educational programs. I believe that any attempt to limit the com-
pulsory categories of questions asked by the census would seriously
diminish the value and accuracy of census data and go at the same

time might seriously impair planning for future social legislation.

I have, together with Joshua Lederberg been involved in collaborative
Studies of census data with the Census Bureau. In these contacts I
have always been impressed with the great integrity of the @ensus
Bureau personnel and with their extreme sensitivity to the question
ofofhe confidentiality of the céefisus data. In fact, very elaborate
precautions were taken with respect to our having access to certain
types of data in order, precisely, to protect this confidentiality.

It is my belief that the measures taken by the Bureau are more than
adequate at the present time to prevent any abuse of the information
which they collect. The rain emphasis of the studies which I have been
involved in has been to see what information of a genetic nature could
be provided by census data. 1 enclose for your possible interest, some
reprints describing this and related work which I have done in the
general area which is sometimes called "Genetic Demography". As you
will see, accurate demographic data can be used to predict even in

the genetic area for example with respect to possible trends in the
frequency of schizophrenics or of individuals affected by Dowhés
Syndrome (mongolism). It is my conviction, in fact, that a great

deal more emphasis should be placed on the collection of data with

the family as a unit, not so much with respect to its penetic utility
as with respect to the increased opportunity that this would provide

in making accurate projections, for example in the educational area

and future needs for medical planning. A great deal of time, effort
and money is apparently spent by the Defense Department in constructing
models that help planning expenditure in defense programs. I wish that
an equal effort could go toward planning in the area of social relevant
legislation,

I would indeed be glad to discuss any of these points €#tbher with you
if you so wish.

Yours sincerely,
Walter F. Bodmer
Professor

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