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[[pre-printed]]
Thomas J. Watson,Jr.
Old Orchard Road, Armonk, New York 10504
[[/pre-printed]]

April 2, 1974

Dear Mr. Chief Justice,

The Nominating Committee Meeting of the Regents of The Smithsonian Institution met yesterday afternoon in Congressman George H. Mahon's office. Two of the three members were present, Congressman Mahon and the under signed. John Paul Austin had expected to be there but was prevented at the last minute by a business commitment. However I kept in touch with him by telephone as to the progress of the meeting. Dr. S. Dillon Ripley was also present.

We considered all the names which had been submitted to us as per copy of our work paper attached. The unanimous conclusion of the Committee was that the name of Dr. Murray Gell-Mann be submitted for approval by the Congress as Regent of the Smithsonian to fill the place being vacated by Crawford H. Greenewalt.

There were several reasons for this conclusion:

1. Dr. Gell-Mann has always been scientifically oriented. He received a Nobel Prize in Physics, and is an R. A. Millikan Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology.

2. Dr. Gell-Mann brings relative youth to the board in that he is 49 [[hand-written in below]] 45 [[/handwritten]] years old.

3. He brings to the Board, residency in the State of California which is a new geographic representation for us.