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    "localId": "75725293",
    "label": "Letters Sent to C.B. [C.B. Lee], April 16, 1930",
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    "id": "75725293",
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    "title": "Letters Sent to C.B. [C.B. Lee], April 16, 1930",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 3,
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    "ocrText": "April 16th, 1930.\nDear C. B.:\nI have today discussed the matter of the Government investigation\nof the various Clock Companies, with Dr. Flinn and will give you the picture\nas it exists briefly 80 that you may form your own opinion as th what extent\nyou wish to discuss this matter while at Elgin.\nIn order to present the matter with some unity, I will discuss the\nsituation with reference to the various Clock Companies separately:\nof the girls he\nINGRAHAM: Mr. Knowles advised Ingraham that one/tested was radioactive.\nThis particular case Dr. Flinn had examined several times I believe, but did not\nfind her to be active. I understand that Ingrahem has had some correspondence\nwith the Department of Health with reference to this case, but as yet no definite\nconclusions have been arrived at. As far as we know this is the only case which\nthe Government found active at Ingraham.\nIt seems that during the progress of the work here both\nKnowles and Schwartz were advising Ingraham as to their findings, but when Washington\nbecame aware of this fact they requested that no further information be given to the\nClock Companies. Ingraham did not respond any too well to such procedure.\nWATERBURY CLOCK: As I understand the situation from Dr. Flinn, there has\nbeen no official statement made by the Government to individuals regarding their\nfindings here, but it would appear that there has been considerable loose talk by\nMr. Knowles relative to what he did find.\nThey advised the Waterbury Clock Co.\nthat Mrs. Pickett was radioactive. Dr. Flinn has examined Mrs. Pickett prior to the\nGovernment examination and since, but found her negative both times.\nMr. Knowles told Dr. Flinn that he found a girl by the name\nof Belle Wallace, as well as three or four others, names of whom Dr. Flinn does not\nrecall, active. None of these cases had been found active by Dr. Flinn and most\nof them had been examined at several different times.\nGranger told Dr. Flinn\nthat he ran a blank in on Knowles, and after Knowles had completed the test Granger\nasked him whether or notshe was active, and Knowles stated that she was.\nMrs.\nKoss, a recognized case was tested by Knowles and Knowles reported thethe Clock\nCompany, as well as her attending physician, that she was virtually a mesothorium\ncase, and that practically all of the activity found could be ascribed to Meso.\nNeither Dr. Flinn or I are able to foretell how he arrived at such a conclusion.\nKnowles also has made the statement that the alpha ray test is often negative when\nthe gamma ray test is positive, but that if he finds the gamma ray positive he con-\nsiders the patient active.\nNEW HAVEN CLOCK: Mr. Knowles has made the statement that he found Tom\nChamberlain active - Dr. Flinn has examined Chamberlain on two different occasions\nand found him negative both times. We have no difinite information that any of\nthe operators were found active.\n-2-\nHAMILTON:\nWe have no information regarding the findings of the\nGovernment at this plant. Dr. Flinn has made two examinations on Hamilton\nemployees and on neither occasion did he find any one to be ratioactive.\nELGIN:\nMr. Thompson lead Dr. Flinn to believe that conditions\nat Elgin were found very good, and did not indicate that there were any girls\nfound to be active. I would judge that Dr. Flinn and Mr. Thompson had not discussed\nthis plant to any great extent.\nRADIUM DIAL: Dr. Thompson indicated to Dr. Flinn that a number of girls,\nprobably 8 or 10 were found to be active at the Ottawa plant. Inasmuch as .Flinn\nhas never made an examination of this group the matter was not discussed to any extent\nAs I indicated to you in one of my recent letters, Mr.\nThompson told Dr. Flinn that the Government was disposed to place in the hands of\nthe various clock companies their findings at the different plants, on the condition\nthat any girl whom the Government reported to the Clock Companies as being active,\nthe Clock Companies should in turn advise the girl regarding her condition. Dr.Flinn\nbelieves that such a procedure would be dangerous, and I quite agree with him. We are\nfurther agreed that we should endeavor to put accoss to the Government the idea that\nthese tests are befraught with many hazards, and that before any final results are\ngiven out or published that should be absolutely certain as to the verity of same.\nMr. Thompson asked Dr. Flinn to obtain for him the Clock Companies consent to such\na procedure - that is the consent of Ingraham, Waterburh and New Haven.\nI believe that we as the U.S,R.C. should interview these\nvarious Clock Companies, and obtain practically all of the information which Dr.Flinn\nas herewith reported, and that after we have such information from them that we\nshould be ina position to discuss the matter with the Department of Public Health -\nprobably at a conference with Mr. Thompson. Dr. Flinn feels that we could approach\nthe matter much more safely by leaving him out of the picture, than by having him\ntake an active part.\nProceeding along the above lines Dr. Flinn and I have arranged\nto drive to Waterbury tomorrow afternoon and see Mr. Granger tomorrow evening. At\nwhich time we shall discuss this matter with him and get his reactions. We then\nhope to see Ingraham on Friday morning and New Haven Friday afternoon. We will then\nhave laid the basis for taking the next step after your return.\nI have gone into this matter in quite some detail so that you\nmay be fully appraised of the situation as it exists, otherwise it occurs to me\nthat you might not feel adquately equipped to discuss the matter with Elgin as you\nshould be at the present time.\nBusiness is very slow, and I have nothing of major importance\nto report. We have had no further word from Armstrong as to his pitch blend deposit.\nYou may probably be able to get the \"low-down\" on this matter when in Chicago.\nWe did have a very interesting caller yesterday, one Mr. Luc\nMonnier, who operates the largest application plant in Switzerland, employing between\n40 and 50 girls, and does practically all of the work for Longines. I know you will\nbe interest in the results of this interview.\nWith kind regards, and trusting we will see you the early\npart of next week, I am\nHHBarker:RH\nSincerely yours,"
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