FOUNDED 1817

 

THE NEW YORK
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

 

Minorv Tsutsui, Ph.D., D. Se. October 8 > 1968
President

 

Professor Joshua Lederberg

Department of Genetics w\

Stanford University School of Medicine

Palo Alto, California 94304 N
A

Dear Professor Lederberg:

Following the meeting with President Johnson and Dr. Donald Hornig on July 30,
the Academy's Ad Hoc Committee on the Crisis Facing American Science has pro-

ceeded with establishment of a Committee for Evaluation of Federal Support for
Science.

The purpose of this committee is to set up a design to evaluate damages caused
by federal cuts in appropriations for scientific research and education, and
the potential damage from additional cuts that are likely to occur. We would
be honored if you would serve as a member of that committee.

An executive committee of the main body has already launched a survey of science-
oriented government agencies, professional societies, academic institutions and
the Academy's more than 25,000 members to obtain specific documentation of where
the cuts may cause the most damage. The survey will serve as a base of an immed-
iate preliminary report which we will present to the President and to Congress
later this month. We plan to emohasize in the report remedial measures that may
be taken immediately, with an eye to the Administration's responsibility to ear-
mark specific cuts, and to use it as a beginning for a continuing, long-term
evaluation of the problem.

We would greatly appreciate your thinking on the problem regardless of whether or
not you find it possible to formally join our committee. Although we are under-
taking a long-term continuing study, membership on the committee will not unduly
intrude on your busy schedule. Three or four meetings per year to evaluate newly
collected data will undoubtedly be all the time required.

I am very much looking forward to hearing from you and hope you will be able to
join us in this important project.

Sincerely ,
Minoru Tsutsui

President
MT sha

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