Sumner Simpson to Vandiver Brown Agreeing to Fund Gardner's Experiments for One More Year (1939)

Sumner Simpson, president of Raybestos-Manhattan, answered Vandiver Brown's letter of December 26 on December 28, 1939. He would be "very glad to carry on these experiments with him for another year" and pay the same share as before, "but I do not think we should carry it along for more than one year without having something very definite." He admitted he had "glanced over the reports very hurriedly." Dr. Lanza of Metropolitan Life had not received a copy and would gladly come to talk the matter over with Brown, having been "of considerable help"; his staff had made "a dust count survey of our Stratford factory" only the month before.

What it shows

Simpson agreed to keep Raybestos-Manhattan's share of the Saranac funding for 1940 but set a limit: one more year unless the work produced definite results. The letter also shows Dr. Anthony J. Lanza of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company still advising the companies on the experiments and his laboratory's dust surveys of Raybestos-Manhattan's plants (the Stratford recheck survey).

In Johns-Manville's index

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

Acknowledges receipt of letter dated 12/26/39 which enclosed interim report from Dr. Gardner. States RM would be willing to carry on expenses for experiments for one more year. Informs that Dr. Lanza would be willing to meet with V. Brown to discuss Saranac studies if that would be helpful.

Related documents

• Vandiver Brown to Sumner Simpson Enclosing Gardner's Interim Report (1939)
• Dr. W. J. McConnell to Sumner Simpson Enclosing the Recheck Survey of the Stratford Plant (1939)
• Vandiver Brown to Leroy U. Gardner Acknowledging the Interim Report on Experimental Asbestosis (1939)

About this copy

This is document 04227 of the Sumner Simpson Papers, as numbered in the collection's index.