Part: 12         Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536         Page 906907908909910911912913914 of 1143

commission that has power to gather information from wherever it's possible to get it, and I have deep hopes that it will be a turning point in the attack on these remaining major diseases. If any substantial breakthroughs are engineered, it could mean that another average of 10 years would be added to the life of the population, and to the prime of life of the population, and it would mean an incredibly productive and rich time in the life of the United States. As you know, seven years have been added, due to medical research, since '44.

Were you present at that first general meeting?

No, I wasn't. The President asked me why I didn't want to be on the commission, and I said that my views were well known about these matters, well known by everybody that I wanted a great deal more done, and that if I were there it would be prejudicial to the impartiality of the commission.

Actually, I can get more done as not a member of the commission, because I can find out before the initial report what they're going to say, and if I have any ideas I can get them included.

Through all of your friends.

Through my friends. And, actually, what is needed is to involve people who haven't had their attention focussed on the size of the problem in it. The President said to me, “You can make more work for more people than anybody I've ever heard