THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

Madison 6

DEPARTMENT OF BACTERIOLOGY

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January 28, 1958

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Medical Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin

Dear Professor Lederberg:

In answer to the notation "Quo vadis now?" in your recent obser-
vations on cosmic microbiology, I do have an idea where you might
"vadis",

First, I think your plan of publishing this in the Bacteriological
News and in Science is extremely desirable.

Secondly, nothing would be accomplished by this unless a mechanism
is set up to funnel the information and ideas that individuals interested
in this problem have to the proper authorities. You may know that a
biologist has been appointed naw to the committee administering (or
at least advising the PresidentJ on) the satelite program. Apparently
the dog in the moon made the physicists realize that they might need
some help from the biologists, The most effective way of accomplishing
this aim would be for the Society to appoint an ad hoc Committee on ‘
Cosmic Microbiology to collaborate with similar groups from other
societies, probably through the A.I.B.S. Ideas that might be trans-
lated into action could then be transmitted to the biological repre-
sentative on the Satelite Committee. You may laugh at this, but such
a committee was appointed by myself in connection with the I.G.Y. with
the result that we are one of the few societies that are represented
in the investigation of biological problems in the Antarctica. I hope
you or Dean Cowie would be willing to serve on such a committee and one
of you act as Chairman. To be most effective the committee should be
small. If you are willing to do so, I shall suggest this to Dr. Eagle.

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I found your paper very stimulating.
Kindest personal regards,

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P. Ween

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