W. P. Raines Confidential Memo on a Dinner with Dr. Irving Selikoff (1966)

A two-page confidential memo of September 30, 1966, by W. P. Raines of J-M's public relations department, recording what Karl Lindell of J-M and Ivan Sabourin, attorney for the Quebec Asbestos Mining Association, told Roger Hackney about their dinner the evening before with Dr. and Mrs. Irving Selikoff. Selikoff had been dismayed by "the inaccuracies and sensationalism" of a Chemical Week article, but the asbestos-cancer research remained his "cause celebre" and he was not giving it up. He said he had several more papers on asbestos he should have published but "fears to do so" because of the "sensational reporting" the press might give them.

What it shows

The memo shows J-M and the Quebec miners keeping close watch on Selikoff, the leading researcher on asbestos and cancer. Lindell and Sabourin disagreed about why he showed interest in the association's new Scientific Committee: Sabourin thought he was "fishing" for a paid place, while Lindell, with Raines agreeing, thought he wanted the committee to acknowledge him as "the world's greatest expert on asbestos and health." Raines also noted that the association was budgeting $200,000 a year for its health program, $70,000 of it for the McGill survey of Quebec miners.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

These are confidential notes dated 9/30/66 of W. P. Raines from a discussion with R. Hackney (J-M). W. P. Raines (J-M PR Dept.), K. Lindell (J-M) and I. Sabourin (QAMA attorney) regarding a dinner they had with Dr. and Mrs. Selikoff. Dr. Selikoff indicated he planned to drop his private practice and devote his time to research and teaching at Mt. Sinai. He will continue to be the doctor for the Asbestos Workers Union.

Dr. Selikoff expressed great interest in the QAMA Scientific Committee and Raines speculates that Selikoff wants to have "his ego flattered" by the Committee's recognition of his as "the world's greatest expert on asbestos and health." It is also mentioned that QAMA is budgeting $200,000 annually for its health program.

Mr. Sabourin stated that Dr. Selikoff had called him after he had seen the Chemical Week article, expressing dismay with the article's inaccuracies and "sensationalism." Dr. Selikoff said he had several additional medical papers on asbestos that he should publish but fears to do so because of the sensational reporting the press may give them.