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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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goal for the total conquest of cancer. That it should be a national goal.

I went to see Yarborough and said to him I thought he could appoint a commission to advise his committee about the legislation in connection with such an objective, the total conquest of cancer. The National Cancer Institute might be just one factor in it. There might have to be a special Cancer Conquest Administration, like the NASA Administration, outside of Cancer Institute to get this done. He was interested in it but very, very busy and anxious about his campaign in '70. As you know, he's running in Texas with very little money, a blackout from the press, and an important Republican, George Bush, with plenty of money, to oppose him, and he's very worried. I promised to help him in his campaign as I had before.

So we brought him a memo on the subject. I'll give you a copy of the memo we left with him, suggestions of people that we thought could make up this Commission, I saw him twice about it, at least, I last saw him in July before I went to Europe, and he said that he was so busy he didn't know how he'd have a chance to enlist these people to be on the commission.

Yarborough was so harassed that he said he wouldn't be able to nominate the people, take time to phone them all to persuade them to go on the





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