6 De

WILLIAM A. STEIGER COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
6TH District, WISCONSIN AND LABOR
Room 1023

“Src Bea Congress of the Umited States pT Trane
Bouse of Representatives Cone he
Washington, B.C. 20515

205 Post OFFICE BuILDING
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. 33081

June 9, 1970

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Stanford "Iniversity
Medical School

Palo Alto, California

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

From the newspaper reports I have read, I gather that
you are concerned about the need for more funds for genetic
research and, I assume, study of the implications of such
research. In case you are interested, it is xossible that
Congress will go into at least the Latter of these issues,

The House has just passed and has sent to the Senate
a bill to create a joint committee on the environment. One
of the committee's responsibilities would be to study and
review (it would be a non-legisl-tive committee) "the char-
acter and extent of environmental and technological changes
that may occur in the future and theireffect on vopulation,
communities and industries .. and to study methods of using
all practicable means and measures, including financial and
tecinical assi» tance, in a manner ec’ leulated to foster, pro-
mote, create and maintain conditions under which man and
nature can exist in harmony, and fulfill the social, econonic,
and other requirements of present and future senerations of
Americans..." Aamittedly there is no guarantee that the
committee will perceive its mandate in so broad alight, but
it might. Representative Steiger commented on the committee's
extremelv broad mandate during the floor discussion,

Another possibility is the bill Con-ressman Daddario
is nushing to establish an Office of Technolocical Aesessment,.
With some stretching of the present concept of such an office
I believe it would be possible to include the question of
the societal implications of senetic astvances in its purview,

Sincerely vours,

yun? sn

Joel Margolis

Office of Representative
I have been following these Wylliam A, Steiger
developments in the Congr. Rec., but

would be pleased at any further documentation, hearing reports, etc.

Actually, I much more upset about whether there will be a reasonable

level of genetic research than about the requirements for socia} ganbro’ .
which have been vastly inflated, outside the realm of biolog gm