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(AUG 29 1980’

      

THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSIT

1230 YORK AVENUE - NEW YORK, NEW YORK 1002

   

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OF OF tHe wae

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

 

26 August 1980

Memorandum for the Record /
ee

Subject: Whitehead Institute and Lew Thomas

cA EK OT TOR ge eM

On August 15, Lew Thomas telephoned me to ask for backgraund about Jack
Whitehead's current planning. Lew said that Jack had called to ask for a
quiet conversation and that a private dinner session had been arranged
for the evening of August 18. This memo covers my "back grounder" for Lew
and his report on the results of the dinner.

1. Background

Because Lew Thomas had not been recently or broadly informed about JL's
explorations with Whitehead, | went over all of the detail in the course
of a telephone conversation that lasted about 30 minutes. | urged him
to do alot of listening rather than any "negotiating" on our behalf. He
agreed.

| also emphasized that Lew should feel free to give his own views--as an
individual trustee of RU--about establishing any Whitehead enterprise on
our campus.

Generally, Lew felt that a subordinate institute would be much healthier
in the long run. I gather that he also felt that using air rights, or
the Tower Building, would make more sense than dedicating one of the two
parcels of real estate on York Avenue. Thus, Lew intuitively agreed with
the general conclusions of our Executive Committee and the Academic Coun-
cil.

2. Results

Lew telephoned after the dinner with Jack Whitehead and reported on
Jack's mood and aims. Both Jack Whitehead and his son John attended the
dinner and no one else was present. The occasion was "pleasant": accord-
ing to Lew.

Jack was deeply worried that JL and the RU Board would "turn him off"--
and Jack definitely does not want to go to either Boston or Palo Alto.
For reasons that Jack never made completely clear to Lew, RU is strongly
the first choice.
Memorandum for the Record

Subject: Whitehead Institute and Lew Thomas
26 August 1980

- 2 ~-

In addition, Jack is worried about the RU faculty's reservations; and he
apparently has "seen the light" (according to Lew) about why all of his
past negotiations with leading institutions have floundered on several
issues having to do with faculty appointments. Accordingly, Jack be-
lieves that it is important to have a firm commitment for the new direc-
tor of the Whitehead enterprise and then have this person negotiate ever-
ything with RU. In Jack's judgement, if the director were David Balti-
more, for example, all of the negotiations would be held in a way that
would probably satisfy RU--and Lew Thomas told Jack that this would prob-
ably be the case.

Furthermore, and probably most important, Jack hinted strongly that the
Whitehead enterprise could be subordinate to the RU president and Board,
if the new director felt that this was the best long-run model.

Jack was looking forward to his planned meeting with JL on September 17.

Presumably, Jack will expect RU to have some reasonably firm "indica- ~ 7% ©.

tions" of our planning by that time. .

Jack Whitehead also said he would be interested in providing some support
to joint clinical research efforts between Memorial, SKI, and the RU.

kus

/ Rodney W. Nichols
cc: “Joshua Lederberg

Whitehead file