Vandiver Brown to Charles M. Price on U.S. Gypsum Joining the Saranac Dust Experiments (1937)

A one-page letter of January 4, 1937, from Vandiver Brown, Johns-Manville's general attorney, to Charles M. Price of the Chicago law firm Scott, MacLeish & Falk, with a copy to Sumner Simpson of Raybestos-Manhattan. Answering Price's inquiry about the asbestos dust experiments Dr. Leroy U. Gardner was doing "on behalf of members of the asbestos industry," Brown enclosed copies of his exchange of letters with Gardner and pointed out that "nothing will be published except subject to the prior approval of those financing the experiments." Seven companies had agreed to take part in the three-year program, and if United States Gypsum Company joined, its share would be about $500 a year.

What it shows

In recruiting U.S. Gypsum, Vandiver Brown put the sponsors' control over publication at the front of his pitch. The condition came from his November 1936 exchange with Dr. Leroy Gardner of Saranac Laboratory (Brown to Gardner and Gardner's reply), which made the results the property of the companies paying for the work. U.S. Gypsum's later dealings with Brown over the experiments appear in his February 1937 letters to J. Offutt (February 26, 1937).

In Johns-Manville's index

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

Transmittal letter for various pieces of correspondence between Brown and Gardner regarding industry sponsored dust study. Points out nothing will be published prior to approval of contributors. Informs seven companies have agreed to participate. If U.S. Gypsum Co. is interested, its share will be around $500 per year. Hopes Price will recommend participation to Gypsum.

Related documents

• Vandiver Brown to Leroy Gardner Authorizing the Saranac Asbestos Experiments (1936)
• Leroy Gardner to Vandiver Brown Accepting the Terms of the Saranac Asbestos Experiments (1936)
• Vandiver Brown to J. S. Offutt of U.S. Gypsum Sending the Saranac Agreement (1937)
• Vandiver Brown to J. S. Offutt Enclosing the Brown-Gardner Letters (1937)

About this copy

This is document 03147 of the Sumner Simpson Papers, as numbered in the collection's index.