DISCLAIMER

The following is a staff memorandum or other working document 
prepared for the members of the Advisory Committee on Human
Radiation Experiments.  It should not be construed as representing
the final conclusions of fact or interpretation of the issues. 
All staff memoranda are subject to revision based on further 
information and analysis.  For conclusions and recommendations of
the Advisory Committee, readers are advised to consult the Final
Report to be published in 1995.






                                                          TAB H-3

            þþþDRAFT þ FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLYþþþ

			  MEMORANDUM

TO:       Members of the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation 
	  Experiments

FROM:     Advisory Committee Staff

DATE:     March 8, 1995

RE:       Documentary Update on Proposed Human Experimentation Related 
          to Proposal for the Nuclear Energy Propulsion for Airplanes 
          (NEPA)



     In prior briefing books we have followed the Department of 
Defense (DOD)/Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) discussions, often 
conducted in secret, regarding the proposal for human experimentation 
in connection with the nuclear powered airplane.

     The attached are documents basic to the NEPA story.

Attachment 1:  January, 1950 "Recommendations to NEPA" by the NEPA 
               Medical Advisory Committee.  The Committee included 
               leading radiation researchers from both government and 
               private research institutions.  (pp. iii-iv)

     This formal document lays out a set of proposed studies, some of 
which include human subjects.  Interestingly, only  one proposal that 
involved humans was labeled "human experimentation". 

     The Committee recommends that unclassified research on prisoners 
be conducted to determine "operational routines and tactical uses of 
aircraft powered by nuclear energy." The proposal expressly provides 
that the principles laid down by the American Medical Association in 
1946 be followed; "all subjects used must be volunteers,. . .hazards 
of each experiment must be ascertained by previous experiments on 
animals, and. . .the experiments must be performed under proper 
medical supervision or management." (pp. 4-6)

     The Committee suggested that life term prisoners be employed, in 
part because the study would require 20 years to complete. However, 
other groups that might provide volunteers included:

          (b)  Incurable cancer patients expected to be free of 
               constitutional symptoms for several months;

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          (c)  Scientists who volunteer for specific doses;

          (d)  Possible lay volunteers. . . .(p. 20)

     The Committee specifically stated that "[i]ndividuals below 21 
years of age must be excluded as must women below the menopause unless 
they have incurable disease (cancer)."

Attachment 2:  A summary chronology, prepared by W.A. Selle, Secretary 
               to the NEPA Research Guidance Committee, of the debate 
               on the proposal for human experimentation. As shown 
               there, the proposal apparently failed because, while 
               supported by the private research members of the 
               Advisory Committee, and by DOD review groups, it could 
               not gain support from Atomic Energy Commission medical 
               officials.

     The document records, that at a December, 1950 meeting "it was 
recognized that unless AEC or some other highly influential agency 
recommends human experimentation, the NEPA proposal would never be 
carried out by the Armed Services." (p. 5)

Attachment 3:  A February 12, 1951 letter from M.C. Leverett, an 
               official of the aircraft corporation that was to build 
               the plane (Fairchild) to Shields Warren, Director of 
               the AEC's Division of Biology and Medicine. In the 
               letter, Leverett laments the failure of the efforts to 
               promote human experimentation:

          Among the recommended research projects was the highly 
          controversial one of human experimentation which this group 
          strongly recommended and gave a position of highest 
          priority. For almost two years the various members of this 
          Committee have been making efforts to gain governmental 
          approval of their recommendation regarding human 
          experiments.

     In fact, as has been previously presented, immediately following 
the military's decision to forego the NEPA proposal for "human 
experimentation", the Defense Department entered into a contract with 
the M.D. Anderson Cancer hospital in Texas, to take advantage of data 
from cancer patients who were being subjected to irradiation 
treatment. This contract would be the first in a series of contracts 
through which DOD would seek to avail itself of data from whole body 
irradiation of cancer patients, following the determination that 
"human experimentation" could not proceed.

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