Letter from Francis Crick to John T. Edsall, Fogarty International Center

Letter from Francis Crick to John T. Edsall, Fogarty International Center

Contributor(s):
The Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. Francis Harry Compton Crick Papers
Fogarty International Center
Crick, Francis, 1916-2004
Edsall, John T.
Publication:
Produced: 22 February 1971
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Continental Population Groups
Intelligence
Genre(s):
Archival Materials
Letters (correspondence)
Abstract:
Crick's letter referred to a letter sent by Edsall and six other scientists to the president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Philip Handler, on August 21, 1970, in which the signers set forth their "opinion that Dr. [William] Shockley's proposals [that the Academy sponsor research into hereditary factors in intelligence and educational achievement of different races] are based upon such simplistic notions of race, intelligence, and 'human quality' as to be unworthy of serious consideration by a body of scientists.". In the last paragraph of their letter, singled out by Crick, the signers stated that "[e]ach individual is genetically unique; there is not a single important trait for which there is not a wide overlap between different human populations. It is basically vicious to evaluate individuals on the basis of the group to which they belong.". Crick was elected a foreign associate of the Academy in 1969.
Copyright:
This item may be under copyright protection; contact the copyright owner for permission before re-use.
Extent:
2 pages
NLM Unique ID:
101584582X196 (See in Profiles in Science)
Profiles in Science ID:
SCBBNM
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101584582X196
Archival Collection:
The Francis Crick Papers (Profiles in Science)