Document KGmvJXVvnXVGqzX0ODM8kRr2X

f * *> December 1, 195? M r. E, W. Webb E thy l G asol i ne C orporati on C hry sl er B ui l di ng Ne Y ork C i ty Hew Y ork D ear M r. ^ebbs- This i s j u st a hurri ed note which I w i l l not have an oppor tuni ty to si gn b u t I w ant to tak e the oppor tuni ty to c al l your at ten t i o n to two su i t s w hich I nv ol v e the Ethy l G asol i ne C orporati on r at h er d i r ec t l y * The one w hich ease to a head a t the ti m e of your t r i p t o Baton Rouge and w hich would have prev ented my bei ng th er e even i f ^ I had promi sed to go, was r eal l y a su i t ag ai n st the Packard M otor Company brought by a man named Banker who cl ai m ed t h at he had co n tr acted l ead poi soni ng from exposure to the ex haust gas i n h i s autom obi l e as a^consequence of a l eak i ng h eat er of the ex haust ty pe* T hi s case has been pendi ng f o r some y ear s, and I con si d er ed i t a v ery dangerous one o r i g i n al l y al though i t had no r eal m er i t* F o r tu n atel y the at to r n ey s.who pr esented the case di d a r at h er bad j ob i n p r ep ar ati o n w i th the r e su l t t h at th er e was a d i r ec t ed v er d i c t from the bench i m m edi atel y a f t e r the p r esen tati o n of the p l a i n t i f f ' s case. The o th er case i s th at of a man named Hubbard i n B en n etav l l l e, South C ar ol i na, ag ai n st the Standard O i l Company of Hew Jer sey f o r negl i gence i n f a i l i n g t o warn him of the dangers of E thy l G asol i ne, ex posure t o w hi ch i n ad v er ten tl y r esu l t ed I n damage to h i s ey esi g h t* T hi s case i s en t i r el y w i thout m er i t , th er e bei ng no doubt of the n atu r e of the cl ai m ant' s i l l n ess* The case was t r i ed about two y ears ago, at which ti m e the j u r y d i sag r eed a f t e r a r at h er d i f f i c u l t time on the p ar t of the def ense* I am goi ng to B en n etsv i l l a on Saturday , December l ^th, and w i l l probabl y be i n B en n etsv l l l e f o r sev er al days# I t r u st we may achi ev e the same r esu l t t h i s ti me and i f so , the case w i l l probabl y n o t appear agai n# On the other hand t h i s i s an awkward case because of the cl ai m ant' s unf ortunate condi ti on. I n c i d en t al l y w hi l e I am i n South C ar o l i n a, i t occurs to me t h at i t m i ght he u sef u l , ** . J M r, Webb (c o n t ) - 2- i f I have th e ti m e, to v i s i t the Bromine p l an t , I have no i dea how cl ose i t i s to where I am goi ng, but I sh al l probabl y have ti m e to go t o i t i f i t i s not too f a r away* I am l eav i ng C i n ci n n ati to n i g h t t o v i s i t the Dow peopl e at M idl and* M i chi gan* They ar e making use of t et r aet h y l l ead i n an operati on w hich i s pre& abl y not bei ng handl ed w i th ev ery p o ssi b l e p r ecau ti o n , I consi dered i t w ise to l ook i n to the m atter w hich no doubt can be tak en care of w i thout difficulty * I am pl anni ng to c a l l on a number of the ex ecuti v es of c er t ai n o f the o i l companies to d i scu ss w i th them c er t ai n phases of the probl em of tank cl ean i n g . I n connecti on w i th t h i s I sh al l v i s i t Hew Y ork i n the near f u tu r e and I shoul d l i k e to make i t a poi n t to see you w hi l e I am there i n o r der to d i sc u ss sev er al m atter s, I w i sh* t h er ef o r e, you would drop me a l i n e at your conv eni ence and l e t me have some I dea of when you ex pect t o be i n New Y ork f o r sev er al days st r ai g h t runni ng, I can then arrange my schedul e so as t o meet your conv eni ence. I n any case I w i l l l e t you know when I ex pect to be t h er e. r eg ar d s* I am W ith k i n d est personal Si n cer el y y ours* RAK i s R obert '& " Keboe*" H