A. R. Fisher to J. P. Woodard on Keeping Dr. Stevenson as a Consultant for Asbestosis Cases (1945)

A short internal memo of June 29, 1945, from A. R. Fisher at Johns-Manville's general headquarters to J. P. Woodard, headed "Dr. Stevenson - Asbestos Retirement," with a copy to J. P. Syme. Fisher writes: "I believe that due to the number of Asbestosis cases that will come up for consideration in the next few years it would be most helpful if we could work out some sort of an arrangement whereby Dr. Stevenson after retirement could be used on a consulting basis." He suggests using him the way the company used "Dr. Smart in Los Angeles."

What it shows

Dr. R. H. Stevenson was the physician at Canadian Johns-Manville in Asbestos, Quebec, who had shown Gardner the X-ray files there in 1944. A year after that review reported asbestosis to be rare at Asbestos, a J-M executive expected enough asbestosis cases over the next few years to want Stevenson kept on after retirement to deal with them.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

6/29/45, A.R. Fisher (J-M) suggests to J.P. Woodard (J-M) that due to the number of asbestosis cases that will come up for consideration in the next few years," Dr. Stevenson should be retained after retirement on a consulting basis."