Q
STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS

November 7, 1977

Via Air Mail

Dr. M. Swaminathan

Secretary to the Government
of India

Department of Agricultural
Research and Education

81, Shahjehan Road

New Delhi 110011

India |

Dear Swami:

Please forgive me for taking so long to respond to your letter of
September 8th. I have been travelling a good deal in the interval, and I
was also in a quandary as to exactly how I should respond. The situation is
that the Genetics Department has a much narrower focus, being in a medical
school, than you probably imagined. It was difficult for me to see just how
you would relate to the actual research and teaching activities here from your
own particular background and interests; although I. am sure there are a few
things that would occupy you for a limited period of time. So I really think
that there would not be very much point in encouraging you to come right here,
much as we would like to renew our personal acquaintanceship.

The more constructive suggestions that I can make are:

1. To think about the Food Research Institute here at Stanford, and I
have gotten some descriptive information about it. If you were
able to get lodging there, you would, of course, bé welcomed to par-
ticipate in a whole range of intellectual activities of the Univer-—
sity. The Department would welcome you in that way with particular
warmth.

2. You ought to give a higher priority to departments of genetics at
places like the University of California at Davis, which indeed do
have very strong alliances with botancial and agricultural research
activities on a significant scale, as I am sure I hardly need to
remind you. If I can do anything that would facilitate that liaison,
by all means please let me know. If you wish to pursue the Food
Research Institute possibility, please direct your inquiries to
Dr. Falcon.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
Enclosures
cc: Walter P. Falcon
A. T. Ganesan

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