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(ue ADLA! STEVENSON INSTITUTE
OF INTERNATI FFAIRS

ROBIE HOUSE 5757 SOUTH WOODLAWN AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60637
312-684-3200

WILLIAM R. POLK Qe
BRECON

Screen pier April 13, 1970

fellewAap Forde,

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
Stanford University

Medical Center

Stanford, California 94305

CABLE ADDRESS ASIIA

Dear Dr. Lederberg,

I apologize for my long delay in answering your
letter of March 20, 1970. The intervening period,
however, has allowed me to clarify several points of
some importance to our discussion.

The first of these is the question of The Bulletin
of the Atomic Scientists. As I told you, I was attempt-
ing to feel the Institute's way toward a close
collaboration with the Bulletin which would have
justified our investing a good deal of money in its
activities. It now appears that while a number of
areas of mutual concern are identifiable, a really
close relationship is probably not possible. There
appear to be a number of historical and psychological
reasons for this state of affairs. It may, consequently,
change over a period of time. In light of this, I plan
for the Institute to take a series of limited and
discreet ventures in collaboration with the Bulletin
but think it unlikely that the kind of significant
breakthrough that you and I discussed is in the cards
in the next few years.

 

However, this does not mean it will be impossible
to accomplish a number of the suggestions that you put
forward and I would like to take advantage of your
suggestion to arrange a meeting between you and the
editor of the Bulletin at your mutual convenience.

Regarding your suggestion on Myron Tribus,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science and
Technology, I believe we agreed, tentatively, that
you would sound out the possibility of having him
do a book possibly in collaboration with you for the
Institute.

Once you have worked out your negotiations with
the Nobel Foundation, I would be delighted to discuss
further. with you the issue of global epidemics.

Regarding the question of the feasibility of a
"fellowship in situ", I would like to go ahead and
consummate our arrangement. I have authorization,
in principle, from our Board of Directors to do so.
Tt remains for us to work out the necessary details
and I think the easiest way to do this would be on
my next trip to California or your next trip east
for us to sit down to discuss it in some detail.
Would you consider an alternative suggestion?
Kenneth Hansen and several of my calleagues from
the Institute plan to meet with me and the Chancellor
from the University of Denver on the 15th of May in
Denver. Is there any chance that you could join us
for a part of our meeting so that we could work out
these arrangements? This is, a modern American
analogy to the old British notion that half a loaf
is better than no bread: Perhaps half a continent
is better than a delayed meeting!

I read your columns and enjoy them very much.
With warm personal regards,

As ever,

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