IH/DNA 
/ 15/78 
jk 1 
4 
2 ( 9 : 20 a.m.) 
3 MR. LIBASSI: My name is Peter Libassi. I am 
4 the General Counsel of HEW and the Chairman of the Task 
5 Force. On my immediate right is Dr. Fredrickson, Director 
6 of the National Institutes of Health, who is Vice Chairman 
7 of the Task Force with me. On my left is Dr. Julius 
g Richmond, the Assistant Secretary for Health and the 
g Surgeon General. And on my far right is Dr. Henry Aaron, 
10 the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. 
11 The purpose of this hearing this morning is 
12 to receive public comments on the National Institutes of 
13 Health's proposed revisions in the guidelines for the 
14 conducting of recombinant DNA research. 
15 Secretary Califano has asked t,hat we hold this 
16 hearing in connection with NIH's solicitation of public 
17 comments on these revisions, which were published in the 
18 Federal Reg ister on July 28 , 1978 . These proposed 
19 revisions ref lect- NIH ' s experience with the current 
20 guidelines since they were published in 1976 , and NIH 
21 has subjected the existing guidelines to extensive 
22 discussion and debate, both within the scientific 
23 community and in the broader general public. 
24 The hearing is, nevertheless, appropriate 
25 because of the importance of this subject and the 
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