Permit me to recall that on August 5, 1970, the 
distinguished biologist. Dr. Joshua Lederberg, pointed out to 
the CCD the advances being made in molecular biology and 
expressed his concern that newly developed techniques in this 
field might eventually be used to create infective agents against 
which no credible defense is possible. The most widely- 
discussed techniques are often referred to as "genetic 
engineering" but technically are properly known as 
"recombinant DNA techniques''. These are techniques for joining 
two different p' •'s of DNA in the laboratory to produce new 
DNA sequences, known as recombinant DNA molecules. In 
principle, such techniques could be used to design radically 
new viruses for biological warfare purposes. 
When advances in science and technology are made, it is 
natural to ask about their possible use for hostile purposes 
and whether or not such uses are prohibited or restricted by 
existing international agreements. In the case of potential 
use of recombinant DNA molecules for weapons purposes it is 
our view that such use clearly falls within the scope of the 
Convention's prohibition. This interpretation is based upon 
the negotiating history as well as the explicit language of 
the Convention, and we believe that it is shared by the other 
signatories . 
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