Document O3X9OGoVxZY5Nv38v1jzXk48Q

October 3, 1959 Mr. W. R. Perdue, Jr. Ethyl Corporation 100 Park Avenue New York 17, New York Dear Bill: Thanks very much for allowing me to review the report of Messrs. Kirby and Ball. There are points in it which are not quite right in my opinion, and X have so stated as clearly and as vigorously as I can in the appended comments. On the whole, however, they have done a remarkably good job of appraising the situation in the fairly short time they had available for the purpose. It is not surprising that certain of our activities should seem to them to be irrelevant, and it is to be expected that the ultimate and intangible values of medical research would be somewhat elusive, and that its complexities (its variety of disciplines) would be somewhat baffling to them. I agree fully with the view they have taken of Ethyl's proper policies in this matter. The Corporation as a citizen, so to speak, in the community, can take any view it may choose, as to its responsibilities for the support of various types of good works without any help or urging from me. The cultivation and protection of its own interests, however, are something else. Here I have views based on some understanding of what is in store for industry in hygienic matters in this country. I have never put any pressure on the officers of the Corporation to support medical research or medical education generally,despite my own great interest in them. There is an area of public interest and of self-interest here, which we all share, and I have merely expressed my opinions when I have been asked for them. The specific responsibilities of industry are not in this field. They are, however, direct and unavoidable for the protection of its employees from injury and disease of industrial origin, and they are equally direct in the pro tection of the public, so far as possible, from risks derived from industrial materials, processes and products * It is here that this Laboratory, as it now operates, and as it faces the future, is undertaking to meet the needs of industry. V/e may or may not have done as well as we should, and we may get off the track in the future, and so fall by the wayside. V/Iiether or not we do our share of this job, or whether or not we do it properly, is unpredictable, perhaps, at this point. But someone will havo to do it, and some group will have to find the way into the future. I firmly believe that the best way, in principle, to do it is the way we have stumbled upon, by trial and error, in trying to serve Ethyl Corporation, first and foremost among our sponsors. By that statement I mean that this is, at best, a University function. But itis a University function that has to be carried out by people who are firmly grounded in industry, as well as in the University. That is the reason for the seeming complexities Mr. W. R. Perdue, Jr. -2- J October 3, 1959. of our activities and relationships. These are not fortuitous. Rather they have been cultivated. What I am seeking, therefore, is not generosity, nor gratitude, nor personal support. Only through its worth to Ethyl Corporation can this proposal be justified. My sole intention has been to demonstrate its potential worth, as I see it. If I am wrong, biased or lacking in clear vision, or if I have failed to present my views clearly, you and your associates will act accordingly, I trust, in equal sincerity. Sincerely yours. Robert A. Kehoe, M. D. RAK: ss Enclosure P.S. I have just received fairly definitive estimates from the architect and his engineering staff as to the cost of the new facilities. The architect's original estimate of $1,200,000.00 was low, largely because of the mechanical equipment, the cost of which, in research laboratories, as you know, is on the high side. The cost will be of the order of $1,500,000.00. R. A. K. 0003