European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Gene splicing a biological a bomb ? f All goes Well in laboratories being readied there for some of the most controversial scientific experiments since the a bomb history will smile on the quiet College town of Ann Arbor. Mich. But if something goes wrong Cambridge. Mass. May be judged More  Ann Arbor permitted the University of Michigan to decide or itself whether Gene splicing could be done on Campus without undue risk to the surrounding Community. Cambridge fought Harvard All the Way from City Hall to Harvard Yard which the mayor unceremoniously threatened to pave if the professors got out of hand. The Issue involves balancing Freedom of scientific inquiry against the responsibility of local govern ments to protect their citizens. Some critics of Gene splicing judge it As potentially hazardous As a Bio logical  the stakes Are  hard pressed by inflation and recession could use the Large amount of government research funds earmarked for studies of recombinant Dan for doxy ribonucleic acid the key genetic compound. They also stand to gain prestige from additional discoveries. For scientists there is the Broad understanding that Dan contains the secret of life and also of winning the Nobel  biggest benefits or hardest blows could go to Ordinary americans however beginning with those living near Harvard and Michigan and the other universities readying themselves for Gene  people May be first to learn of Progress made possible by the elegant new technology controls for genetically determined diseases like Haemophilia crops that generate their own fertilizer or vastly increased understanding of the Way plants and animals pass their characteristics from one generation to the next. Like these envisaged gains the hazards Are As yet Only imagined since nothing like this has Ever been done before. Possible Short term dangers include escape of uncontrollable and potentially harmful microorganisms from laboratories. More speculatively. Some fear that genetic engineering might some Day enable dictators la control human development in what is being called the Hitler  risks May or May not be science fiction. But Al ready they have prompted researchers to impose constraints that Are without precedent in modern science. Meeting at Asi Lomar calif., in february 1975. 140 Emi nent biologists from 16 countries imposed a voluntary ban on further experiments until safely guidelines could be  year later the National institutes of health had such a code ready. By that Lime however the University of Michigan had Deall Wilh inc Issue of Community safety in a relatively quiet manner that was to become the envy of embattled Harvard. Now it seems Likely that the Federal government ultimately will step in with legislation. In Ann Arbor the Dan debate remained an Aca Demic affair despite efforts of those who feared it to rally townspeople to their Side. Professors David Jackson and Robert Helling who wanted to conduct Gene splicing experiments on Campus had most of the weight on their Side from the Start. A dam molecule magnified 30,000 times sir Jackson had pioneered the new techniques and with Helling represented Michigan s Best Hope for leadership in a major new Field. He also believes firmly that Dan experiments while potentially dangerous arc no More Sothan others already in Standard use. A position he argued with devastating  Advance carries  he says. To advocate a no risk policy is to advocate paralysis. The problem snot to avoid All risk but to minimize it to an acceptable level and we can do . 34, held weaponry in addition to authority and persuasiveness. He symbolized first class research Talent to the administration of a proud University that has seen its National ranking in terms of federally funded programs fall from fourth place in 1970 to 10th in 1974. If Michigan failed to pick up Dan research what would prevent others from moving into its place at the top Levels of administration there was a Strong predisposition to proceed cautiously airing the Issue along the Way to allow those who fell strongly about it to say so As Alvin Zander associate vice president for research put it. Those who wanted to slow or prevent Dan research at Michigan were out gunned. When a University wide com Mittee came out in favor of Gene splicing there was a Lone dissent. Shaw Livermore. A senior professor of history objected to the technique s capability to alter life in a fundamental  just do not believe we will be Able to manage our  he told the faculty  critics Side of the question suffered from weak organization. No Central figure of High academic ran stepped Forward. Instead the chief tactician s role fell to Susan Wright an Unten Rcd assistant professor of humanities in the school of engineering. Drafting letters to scientists across the country1, Bicy cling around town to organize meetings and petition drives. Wright carried her cause As far As she could. Largely at her insistence the University on two occasions brought in Well known outside experts on Gene splicing to describe the dangers involved. But Wright was no match for the opposition. Michi Gan s governing regents already had Given qualified approval to lab renovation. After serious debate they gave a Green Light to the work itself. Defeated on Campus the critics turned to the town demanding citizen participation in decisions that might ultimately determine their Fate. For a time the protest gathered momentum. Donald Michael an influential professor of psychology1 and a member of the prestigious club of Home suggested that the appropriate places to conduct such experiments Are not universities but National laboratories isolated from population  like those used in some nuclear re  group targeted Ann Arbor s City Council As the Best place to gain exposure. Noise made there surely would reverberate through town. But Ann Arbor let the critics Down. Long accustomed to trusting its University to do the right thing in technical matters it could not be aroused by something As complicated As Dan. The fatal blow was administered by mayor Alber Wheeler himself a professor of microbiology at Michi Gan although terribly worried about the implications of Gene splicing. Wheeler did not want a partisan political debate in Council on a highly Complex scientific topic. When critics of Gene splicing managed to get a motion before the Council to debate in open session the advisability of on Campus experiments. Wheeler look an informal h Rigek Fulci Page 14 the stars and stripes air flow safety Cabinet allows Access but forms i tuesday