ATTACHMENT
                                 L

    Letter from Shields Warren to Leslie Redman, March 5, 1951

BMM:CLD


                              March 5, 1951

Mr. Leslie M. Redman
"D" Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Atomic Energy Commission
Los Alamos, New Mexico

Dear Mr. Redman:

Dr. Alberto F. Thompson, Chief, Technical Information Service, has
asked me to reply to your letter of January 22, 1951, concerning
policies on human experimentation.  The following statements have
guided the Division of Biology and Medicine in its attitude towards
this problem:

First, in a letter from Carroll Wilson, General Manager, to Dr.
Robert Stone, University of California, dated November 5, 1947,
appears the following from a statement prepared for Commissioners
by the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine:

     "We therefore wish to record our approval of the position
     taken by the medical staff of the AEC in point of their
     studies of the substances dangerous to human life.  We believe
     that no substances known to be, or suspected of being,
     poisonous or harmful should be given to human beings unless
     all of the following conditions be fully met:  (a) that a
     reasonable hope exists that the administration of such a
     substance will improve the condition of the patient, (b) that
     the patient give his complete and informed consent in writing,
     and (c) that the responsible nearest of kin give in writing a
     similarly complete and informed consent, revocable at any time
     during the course of such treatment."

Secondly, the Report of the Medical Board of Review dated June 20,
1947, on page 11, Section VI, first paragraph states:

     "Secrecy in scientific research is distasteful and in the long
     run is contrary to the best interests of scientific progress. 
     The Board of Review recommends that insofar as it is
     compatible with national security, secrecy in the field of
     biological and medical research be avoided."


Mr. Leslie W. Redman           - 2 -                March 5, 1951

Thirdly, Dr. Alan Gregg, Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the
Division of Biology and Medicine stated at the September 1948
meeting of the Committee:

     "The secrecy with which some of the work of the Atomic Energy
     Commission has to be conducted creates special conditions for
     the clinical aspects of its work in that the public is aware
     of this necessity for secrecy and of the subsequent difficulty
     of probing into it."

With these basic ideas in mind as guiding principles, I would like
also to urge you the importance of having any experimental work
which involves human beings supervised by an M.D.  This holds
equally well for self-experimentation by scientists whether or not
they are physicians.  If in the latter category, any such self-
experimentation should be done only under the supervision of any
physician.

                              Sincerely yours,



                              Shields Warren, M.D.
                              Director
                              Director of Biology and Medicine

DUNHAM:mar


Leslie M. Redman is Technical Advisor in Ralph Carlisle Smith's
office.  (Smith being Associate Director of D Division - patent
attorney - has control over all classified information, patents,
documents, etc., from the University).