THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 
MEDICAL SCHOOL 
TELEPHONE. 
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN GENETICS 
1137 E. CATHERINE STREET 
ANN ARBOR. MICHIGAN 
48109 
ANN ARBOR. 764-8400 
December 20, 1977 
Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson 
Director 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, Maryland 20014 
Dear Don: 
Your performance as chairman was virtuoso. 
As I attempted rather inadequately to convey in my closing remarks, 
one of my principal concerns is the articulation of these guidelines with 
the larger issue posed by the whole sweep of investigation concerning recom- 
binant DNA. In this connection, you might be aware of certain "dynamic tensions' 1 
within the genetic community, stemming from the intellectual arrogance of the 
molecular geneticist, flushed with the astounding successes of reductionist 
biology, as contrasted (I hope) with a greater measure of humility on the part 
of those of us who are man-oriented, determined from the lessons of the past to 
make our progress carefully. 
I had viewed the Science note and Asilomar as the first indications of 
real stirrings of conscience, a realization of the complexity of the Pandora's 
box the molecular geneticist had opened. For Jim Watson to repudiate that so 
completely, with no effective challenge from his peers, was a rather depressing 
red flag, upon which I have now had the opportunity to reflect. In effect, he 
said, 'we lost our nerve for a minute, please excuse the momentary lapse, but 
now just get out of our way. ' I personally found that rather disturbing, to 
the extent that I considered asking to be excused from your Committee and 
appearing as a public witness on the last afternoon of our meeting. I am afraid 
the fact that I hadn't decided which way to go until I began to speak was 
reflected in a certain confusion in my Committee member's remarks. 
With this lengthy preamble, let me again express the hope that somehow 
either the forwarding statement or the introduction to the guidelines themselves 
will reflect our awareness of the larger issues to which the guidelines relate. 
I really don't want to muddy the waters, but only to help ensure the necessary 
perspective. In this same vein, I wonder about retitling those guidelines: 
"Recombinant DNA Research, with Particular Reference to Lower Eukaryotes." 
This would then set the stage for the inevitable companion document, to be 
entitled "Recombinant DNA Research, With Particular Reference to Higher 
Eukaryotes . " 
The document itself of course , has to be quite technical , and here I 
would defer in judgement to the persons in the field and the legal types who 
[Appendix A — 137] 
