Manfred Bowditch to Vandiver Brown on the Overdue Asbestosis Report and Dr. Lanza (1946)

A one-page letter of November 27, 1946, from Manfred Bowditch, field director of Saranac Laboratory, to Vandiver Brown of Johns-Manville, copied to Sumner Simpson. Bowditch understood that Dr. Lanza had talked with Brown about "the overdue report on asbestosis" and promised that "some way will be found to complete the report in the best possible form and at the earliest possible date." He enclosed a letter from Dr. Peter W. Edwards, one of Gardner's British colleagues, said that Dr. Francis B. Trudeau, president of the board of trustees, would write about the laboratory's plans, and reported that Lanza had been elected a trustee.

What it shows

After Leroy Gardner's death, Dr. Anthony J. Lanza of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company became the sponsors' link to Saranac Laboratory's unfinished work, now as one of its trustees. In January 1947 Lanza reported to J-M's officers on his visit to the laboratory, and Vandiver Brown said he hoped the finished report would leave out "any relation between asbestos dust and cancer" (minutes of January 21, 1947). The letter is still on letterhead naming Gardner as director.

In Johns-Manville's index

Johns-Manville's attorneys indexed the Sumner Simpson Papers. Their index describes this document as follows:

Informs that S. Simpson of RM has also written in regards to the final report on the asbestosis experiments. States letter from Dr. Trudeau, president of Board of Trustees, should be received shortly. Trudeau will outline present situation at Saranac and the plans for the future. Informs that Dr. Lanza has been elected to board of trustees.

Related documents

• Manfred Bowditch to Vandiver Brown Promising Word on Gardner's Report (1946)
• Sumner Simpson to Manfred Bowditch Asking for Gardner's Report Promptly (1946)
• Manfred Bowditch to Sumner Simpson Answering His Letter on Gardner's Report (1946)
• Sumner Simpson to Vandiver Brown Doubting Gardner's Report Will Come Soon (1946)
• Vandiver Brown to Manfred Bowditch Asking Saranac to Finish Gardner's Report (1946)

About this copy

This is document 05651 of the Sumner Simpson Papers, as numbered in the collection's index.