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STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS

June 9, 1977

Dr. Frank Press

Director

Office of Science and Technology
Executive Office of the President
Washington, D.C. 20506

Dear Dr. Press:

This letter is to ask you to give some attention to means for
repairing the gulf between faculties at academic institutions and govern-
ment, particularly in the national security area. I am enclosing a
clipping that illustrates one of the more egregious scandals. You are
well aware too of the maltreatment that Sid Drell and others have
received around the Jasons group. There have also been serious problems
connected with the recruiting activities of armed forces and other
government agencies on home campuses.

The point of writing now is that a new Administration has an
opportunity, that may evaporate before long ,to wipe the slate clean with
respect to past grievances connected with these demonstrations, and to
refute the doctrine that it is an immoral thing to cooperate with one's
own government. If you agree, I hope you will ask President Carter to
exert his own leadership in a public statement that could be quite
decisive in changing the contemporary climate.

I am addressing a similar communication to Admiral Turner, who,
of course, has an even more immediate stake in terms of operational
impediments.

On a somewhat related question, perhaps within your own sphere,

I suggest a re-examination of the relationships between the armed forces
and the universities, with respect to "ROTC." Positions on both sides
have gotten so hardened that we need an independent commission to take

a fresh look. It should come out with some new plan that can preserve
the academic integrity of programs for future officers at the private
universities in this country, and do perhaps even a better job for the
foundations of their professional education. I made a similar suggestion
not long ago to Congressman Aspin, who seemed to be interested in the

DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS, STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305 * (415) 497-5052

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Dr. Frank Press -2- June 9, 1977
idea. Such an inquiry might well be a legislative initiative, but it
certainly would help if their were a positive nod from the Administration.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

Enclosure
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