DeWitt Stetten, Jr. 
Page 5 
March 26, 1976 
A legal jurisdiction with comprehensive authority — 
extending to all relevant parts of the government and to 
private research laboratories — will probably be established 
at some not very distant time. The appropriate officer to 
receive this jurisdiction is apparently the Secretary of 
HEW. HEW contains NIH, Food and Drug Administration, varied 
public health services and controls, and even means of 
reaching all educational institutions. No other department 
of the government concentrates so large a portion of the 
activities potentially related to recombinant DNA research. 
No other department is as well prepared by function and 
experience to balance the claims for freedom of research 
and advance in biological science with the claims for pub- 
lic protection. It could have a council with representation 
from other agencies, advisory scientific committees, and 
authority to delegate functions - including amendment of 
guidelines . 
NIH has shown initiatives on recombinant DNA research 
that have merited commendation; its additional responsi- 
bility (probably already met) is to inform higher officials 
of the government of the broader problems not within its 
jurisdiction. These deserve consideration, with leader- 
ship from HEW, at the White House level. 
These comments are sent without the benefit of discussions 
with other persons studying the problems. They are sugges- 
tive and perhaps contain something useful. 
Sincerely 
Ashbel Smith Professor of 
Government and Public Affairs 
[ 506 ] 
