Letters Sent to Dr. Cecil K. Drinker, June 20, 1925

COPY June 20,1925. Cecil K. Drinker, Esq. Dept. of Physiology, School of Public Health, 240 Longwood Ave. , Cambridge, Mass. Dear Sir: Your letter addressed to Mr. Roeder, President of the United States Radium Corporation, has, in Mr. Roeder's absence, been referred to me as counsel for the company. I am unable to understand why you object to the deposit of your report with Mr. McBride, who, as you doubtless know, is the head of Mr. Roach's Department. I personally had a conference with Mr. Roach concerning this matter and it was he, and not the Radium Corporation, who referred it to Mr. McBride. I am astonished at your statement that you are arranging for the immediate publication of your report. It is my understanding that you were retained by and at the expense of the Radium Corporation to make the investigation in question so that it might have the benefit of your testimony if it so desired in the course of threatened litigation. While, of course, the Radium Corporation did not desire this fact to in any way affect your investigation and conclusions, it certainly assumed that in case your con- clusions were adverse to its claims you would not publish such conclusions or otherwise take affirmative action to make them available to the plaintiff in the litigation. This is the first occasion in my experience covering many years with doctors and other expert witnesses of high character when any expert has even threat- ened, during the pendency of litigation, to publish a report adverse to the party to such litigation who had retained him. I presume that you understand that other well informed experts do not agree with the report which you have made. Notwithstanding this fact the publication of your report at this time may greatly damage the Radivm Corporation not only in the pending litigation but in its general business which is being conducted with safety to its employees in accordance with the best information obtainable on the subject. I trust that your futther consideration of the duty which you owe to the Radium Corporation under the circunstances will lead to the decision not to publish your report. Yours very truly,