Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson 
- 2 - 
December 28, 1977 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.241), in which "the Secretary of 
the H.E.W. is directed to conduct research, investigation, demonstration 
and studies relating to the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control and 
prevention of physical diseases and impairments in man". Since no such 
"diseases and impairments" were ever demonstrated and since there is uniform 
agreement "that E_. col i K-12 cannot be converted into an epidemic pathogen 
by laboratory manipulations with DNA inserts", further restrictions on the 
EK1 and EK2 based research are contrary to the letter and spirit of the 
Public Health Service Act. 
I would like to congratulate you on the way you conducted the hearings, 
especially with witnesses whose testimonies were mainly emotional or political. 
I was disturbed, however, with the precedent of providing an official, 
government-sponsored forum for as illogical and purely emotional testimony, 
as e.g., that of officially invited foreign witness Dr. David Suzuki, especially 
since his testimony was widely reported in the press. E.g., the report by 
Judy Randal of Princeton Features under the title "David Suzuki is a scientist 
with a conscience about DNA research" was carried in our local newspaper. 
In his testimony, which was much longer than the permitted five minutes, and 
which I admit was quite entertaining with a spel lbounding and almost religious 
flavor, he developed a thesis that traditional genetic research as carried out by 
him is good and the use of the new recombinant DNA technique is evil because 
of his internment during World War II due to his Japanese heritage. Since ten 
years of my life were spent under Hitler and Stalin, I probably have as much 
if not more right to discuss racism and erroneous interpretations of eugenics 
and genetics applied by facist governments. However, the logic of connecting 
the events of the 1930‘s and 1940' s with a new technique developed in the 1970's 
eludes me completely, unless it is purely a demagogical trick. I would greatly 
appreciate receiving from you the exact transcript of Dr. Suzuki' s speech 
which might help me to understand the logic and motives behind his manifesto. 
Perhaps this would also help me in understanding the logic of regulating EK1 
and EK2 based research to protect the public from imaginary hazards, for which 
there is uniform agreement that from the practical point of view they do not 
exist or could not even be postulated on the basis of present knowledge. 
Please include this letter in the proceedings of the meeting. 
I hope your skiing vacation in Europe was very pleasurable. 
With best wishes for a very happy New Year, 
Sincerely yours, 
WS:kjd 
[Appendix A — 162] 
