November 17, 1969

Secretary Robert H. Finch
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
330 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D. C. 20201

Dear Mr. Finch,

  Having just preceded you .on the program, Z had the privilege
of hearing you address the Mayo Alumni at Los Angeles Seturday
of ternoon.

  Before you arrived I had etroagly oupported and congratulated
you for your actions on DDT and eyclasrstes. I wae not eo extravagant
to tell the group that this was a more positive contribution to the
health of the public than the cum-total of their "repair end ealvage"
operations.

  I was then rather dismayed and depressed at the tone of your
own opening remarks which seemed to say "stamp put reaeareh" for it
is diverting our best minds.

  This was particularly oppressive in the light of the bafflement
you must feel about the scientific base for the evaluatiou of
eavirmmental hazards.

  Then I thought: research amat be uncomfortable to the administrator
ou the spot as you ara, for it undoubtedly uposee hazards and dilemmas
of which all of us might prefer to remin blissfully ignorant - till
the bodlea pile up.

   Surely this la not your motive. But I wonder If you perceive how
negatively you are coming aerobe on this issue, quite apart from the
hard realities of budgetary choices. You really sound as if you relish'
the demoralization of research, in which you naap be all too successful.

  Nevertheless, I am too oluch in your debt in other areae todo
other than cheer you on. And I am in absolute agreemmt with you
about rc-structurixq medical education for multiple levels of entry
and exit. I do not think decrying research is much posit&v% help.

(Xt wae not "academic raedlcine" that fought comprehensfve health care
tooth end nail:) Nor have we men much positive help for a place like
Stanford to move ahead with its own plans along these lines.

z?

e

s

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Profesaor of Genetics

JL/rr