HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
The Biological Laboratories 
16 Divinity Avenue 
Cambrioce, Massachusetts 02138 
January 27, 1982 
William J. Gartland, Jr. 
Office of Recombinant DNl Activities 
National Institutes of Health 
Bldg. 31, Room 4A52 
Bethasda, Md. 20203 
Dear Dr. Oartland: 
I have been eut of close touch for a time with the recombinant 
DNA situation; but wish new to register strong objection to the 
Baltimore/Campbell proposal described in the Federal Register of 
Dec. 4, 1981, proposing that the NIH Ouidelines be changed from 
mandatory to volxintary, and so modified as to make them weaker. 
I have received a letter about these changes, discussing 
their impact, from Donna Smith at MIT and Terri Goldberg, Co- 
ordinator of the Science Resource Center. The letter is addressed 
to you, and I thoroughly in accord with what it says. 
One thing that bothers me pairticularly is that David Baltimore 
should still be in position to i^dvise government on these matters 
without disclosing his by new deep conflict of interest. Accord- 
ing to the Boston Globe of Dec. 10, 1981 he is new the second larg- 
est personal stockholder in Collaborative Genetics, which was to go 
public this month, with holdings valued at over $3 million. 
Such conflict of interest in tnis field is deeply embarras- 
sing and very widespread. It threatens to corrupt the entire rela- 
tionship between academics and xmiversities, and the public a^d gov- 
ernment. The least that must be done about it is full disclosure. 
The entire concept of academic freedom is Imperilled by it. Univer- 
sity faculty members and administration must net be permitted any 
longer to advise the public and government on controversial issues 
without disclosing their personal interests — I mean money interests. 
The National Academy of Sciences and National Research Coxmcil has had 
to adopt ouch rules for members of its committees; and I should think 
that the government co\xld do no less. 
[7011 
