PREFACE 
This document is the fifth in a series constituting a "public 
record" of activities in regard to the NIH Guidelines for recombinant 
DNA research. 
The first four volumes cover events from February 1975 through 
December 1978. 
This fifth volume covers events from January 1979 through January 
1980 culminating in the revised "NIH Guidelines for Research Involving 
Recombinant DNA Molecules" as published in the Federal Register on 
January 29, 1980. The Guidelines are presented here with certain trans- 
mittal and introductory matter. 
First is a memorandum of January 25, 1980, from Dr. William 
Gartland, Director of the NIH Office of Recombinant DNA Activities, to 
the institutional biosafety committees and to principal investigators. 
Next is a letter of January 28, 1980, from Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson, 
NIH Director, to the institutions receiving NIH support for recombinant 
DNA research. 
These are followed by sections of the Federal Regi ster (January 29, 
1980) containing a Decision by the NIH Director to publish the revised 
Guidelines and a copy of the Guidelines as they now stand. 
The subsequent documents in this volume, arranged essentially in 
chronological order, are as follows (omitting most attachments): 
t Federal Register of January 15, 1979, announcing actions to be 
considered at a meeting of the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Com- 
mittee (RAC), February 15-16, 1979. 
t Minutes of that meeting. 
• Federal Register of April 11, 1979, promulgating actions recom- 
mended at the meeting. 
• Federal Register of April 2, 1979, containing a proposed NIH plan 
for risk assessment. 
• Federal Register of April 13, 1979, announcing actions to be con- 
sidered at a meeting of the RAC, May 21-23, 1979. 
• Minutes of that meeting. 
t Federal Register of July 20, 1979, promulgating actions recommend- 
ed at the meeting. 
