THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY 
1230 YORK AVENUE • NEW YORK, NEW YORK 100 21 
December 14, 1979 
Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson, 
Director 
Building 1 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, Md. 20014 
Dear Don: 
I am writing, not as a member of the Academy Committee on 
Laboratory-Associated Biological Risks, but as an individual micro- 
bial geneticist. As you well know, I have long been associated 
with transfer of genetic information and have had much occasion to 
consider probabilities. In fact, I will remind you that I did in 
1950, after some deliberation, perform the first drug resistance 
DNA transformations, and in 1964 and 1965 took part in early warnings 
against indiscriminate "transformations" that were then being imagined. 
By now, I am much impressed with the efficiency of evolution 
and the rarity of the confluence of the multiple factors required 
for infection and parasitism. Therefore, I am glad to state that 
I am fully satisfied that such projected experiments on recombinant 
DNA in EL coli K12 as are presently even "permitted" at all the lower 
levels of precaution present only vanishingly small risks and those 
risks can be met with modern procedures. The greater risk is that 
we as species, society and if you like, a nation, will lose extremely 
valuable time in reaching answers to fundamental health-related 
biological questions now within reach. 
Therefore, I want to let you know that I am strongly in favor 
of the relaxation of the NIH Guidelines on Recombinant DNA as pro- 
posed by the Director’s decision described in the Federal Register 
of Nov. 30. I hope that the support and trust which you carry from 
so many of us will enable you to facilitate the implementation of 
this decision. 
With best wishes for the Holiday Season, 
Sincerely yours, 
Rollin D. Hotchkiss 
Professor of Genetics 
RDH/pb 
[ 484 ] 
