£/i&y 
Eli Lilly and Company 
307 East McCarty Street 
Indianapolis. Indiana 46285 
Cornelius W Pettinga. Ph D. 
Executive Vice President 
February 23, 1984 
James B. Wyngaarden , M.D. 
Director 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, Maryland 20205 
Dear Jim: 
Over the past several years of its existence, the 
Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) has 
demonstrated unparalleled ability and wisdom in 
dealing with the variety of issues that have 
evolved from research and development in recombi- 
nant DNA technology. Because of the commitment 
by RAC to basic research, it has been flexible 
enough to meet the demands of a constantly 
changing technology and changing data base from 
which decisions have had to be made. RAC has 
proved to be an effective forum that has brought 
together representatives from academia, from 
government, and from industry, who function to 
support work with recombinant DNA technology but 
who are equally aware of ethical and safety con- 
cerns . 
The environment that RAC has fostered has enabled 
the United States to become the leader in the 
field of biotechnology. Evidence of this leader- 
ship is well documented in the recent report by 
the Office of Technology Assessment. In order to 
maintain this leadership position, it is neces- 
sary to continue to work in a cooperative environ- 
ment that encourages the continued development of 
recombinant DNA technology yet demonstrates a 
real concern for the public interest. 
Frequently, when individuals think of public 
interest they think like Congressman Gore or 
Congressman Florio, who propose to regulate 
[ 666 ] 
