PART A— COMMITTEE ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
I . Introduct ion 
In September 1976 a Federal Interagency Committee on Recombinant DNA 
Research was created to consider an extension of the "NIH Guidelines for 
Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules" beyond the NIH to the public 
and private sectors. The Committee was convened by the Secretary of 
Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) with the approval of the President. 
Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson, Director of the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH), serves as chairman at the Secretary's request. (See Appendix I for 
Committee membership.) 
The Committee met eight times from November 1976 to March 1977. 
Details of these meetings, and the recommendations of the Committee for 
legislation to govern the conduct of recombinant DNA activities nationally, 
are contained in the Committee's Interim Report, released by the Secretary 
of HEW on March 16.* 
f 
After making its recommendations for legislation, the Committee met, 
at the request of representatives from the State Department, to consider 
possible means for fostering international control of the use and pro- 
duction of recombinant DNA molecules. Dr. Fredrickson reported on the 
voluntary coordination and cooperation that exist among national and 
international scientific bodies to promote uniform safety practices and 
♦Copies of the Interim Report may be obtained from the Office of the 
Associate DirecLor for Program Planning and Evaluation, National Insti- 
tutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014. (301) 496-3132. 
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