First Annual James Watson Lecture, National Academy of Sciences (15 November 1995) (Correspondence), 1995

The Lectures, Speeches, Interviews series primarily consists of material related to the many lectures, speeches, talks, and panel discussions which Watson has participated in throughout his career. Additionally, the series contains a smaller number of interviews conducted with Watson, most of which were published in popular periodicals. The series is divided into five subseries: Lectures, Interviews, Requests, Presentation CD-ROMs, and Presentation Powerpoint Files.



The Lectures subseries (JDW/2/8/1) contains manuscripts (drafts of lectures which were written prior to delivering the talk), transcripts (transcriptions of the talk, published after the lecture was delivered), correspondence with organizers (typically related to travel arrangements and itineraries), handwritten notes, programs, clippings, posters, and other publications. These talks were presented at scientific meetings, universities, and other special events and award ceremonies. The subseries also contains several transcripts of testimony given before the U.S. Congress. It arranged chronologically by the date of the talk.



Early talks were strictly scientific (subjects include DNA, RNA, genes, phages, etc.). In the 1970s he began almost exclusively lecturing on the controversy surrounding recombinant DNA, arguing that the public’s fear of the unknown was leading to unnecessary restrictions on scientific research. Watson provided similar testimony before several Congressional committees during this time, which is also included in this subseries. Throughout the 1980s cancer cells were the primary subject of his lectures. In 1988 he assumed leadership of the National Center for Human Genome Research, and he often gave talks on the Human Genome Project. By the 1990s his talks became increasingly autobiographical, and the discovery of the double helix is often a topic of discussion.



The earliest lecture files (1950s-1960s) consist primarily of handwritten notes. Later files are mostly composed of transcripts, manuscripts, and a large amount of correspondence. Starting in the 2000s Watson began using Powerpoint presentation software to deliver his speeches. Files from this era typically include print-outs of slides created with this software (labeled “slide handout” in the finding aid notes).



Of note is the file on the meeting held at Ravello, Italy in September 1963. The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) was created at this meeting. The file contains correspondence, reports, and handwritten and typed lecture notes by Watson. Another significant portion of the Lectures series concerns Watson’s trip to East Africa, sponsored by the Ford Foundation in 1965-1966. It includes a report entitled “Observations on the Situation in East and Central Africa” (April 1965). Related files can be found in the Memorabilia and Ephemera series (JDW/2/12).



The Interviews subseries (JDW/2/8/3) contains transcripts and clippings of interviews conducted with Dr. Watson from 1973 to 2011. Interviewers include Istvan Hargittai, Errol Friedberg, and Tom Wolfe.



The Requests subseries (JDW/2/8/2) contains correspondence from institutions requesting Dr. Watson speak at conferences, university convocations, and other events from 1968-1993. It also includes requests from media companies for interviews.



The Presentation CD-ROMs subseries (JDW/2/8/4) consists of CD-ROMs containing Dr. Watson’s Powerpoint presentation files used for various speaking engagements from 1999-2011, 2013. Topics to his talks include cancer research, the discovery of the double helix, and his own “rules for science.”



The Presenation Powerpoint Files subseries (JDW/2/8/5) consists of digital Powerpoint presentation files related to approximately 200 lectures delivered between 2003 and 2014. Copies of these files also appear in the Lectures subseries (in paper form) and the Presentation CD-ROMs subseries. The files are maintained by the Watson Archivist at CSHL.

For additional interviews please see: Institutional Records: Office of Public Affairs (JDW/3/11).



For additional lectures on the Human Genome Project please see: Personal Papers: Human Genome Project (JDW/2/9).



For additional framed and oversized posters advertising Watson’s lectures see: Personal Papers: Memorabilia (JDW/2/12).



The series is organized into 5 subseries. The Lectures, Presentation CD-ROMs, and Presentation Powerpoint Files subseries are arranged chronologically by the date of the talk. The Interviews and Requests subseries are arranged chronologically by folder content.