Letter from Robert M. Underhill to J.R. Oppenheimer, dated March 26, 1945

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THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Fe» New Mexico. I am enclosing a copy No. 2» Series A» of a letter dated March 17, 1945, sent to me on the subject of the proposed change in the contract to provide for the collection of certain medical expenses from a Medical Corps appropriation. This matter has been the subject of conversation and correspondence ever since the beginning of December and I have, up to this time, refused to sign any modification of the contract to put this change into effect. My objection has been because I felt it inappropriate to make an agreement to take care of the medical expenses of military personnel, because this might by some implication affect the medical and hospital services now being rendered to civilians employed both by the krss^ and the The purpose of the change is to use for the approximate hospital care of the military personnel, funds provided under the appropriation for the Medical Corps of the Army rather than funds provided for the Engineering Corps. Colonel Vanden Bulck has at his disposal for this purpose funds against which a charge of $2.75 per man per month for military personnel can be vouchered. I discussed this matter on numerous occasions with Colonel Vanden Bulck, Colonel Antes, and Colonel Warren, the last conversation having taken place in Berkeley on March 7. I stated that IiKouldnot execute a supplement to the contract without a letter clearly setting forth that we will not be required to operate the hospital and that the collection of |2.75 per man per month on a voucher against the Medical Corps will not be regarded as a duplicate claim against the Government when we are still vouchering the cost of the nurses services on a payroll as a charge against the Engineer Corps appropriation for contract 36. The letter seems to be clear that there is no intent of the U.S. A m y giving up the operation of the hospital. It is not quite as clear as I would like it to be, in that it gives the indication that there may be civilian doctors on our payroll rather than Medical Corps officers. I am assured verbally by Dr. Warren, who is in charge of the hospital services throughout the Manhattan District project, that while individual Medical Corps officers may be transferred, as is proper within Army procedure, it is not expected that all the Medical Corps officers will be detached and the task of hiring civilian doctors for the hospital fall upon the University. We already have one civilian doctor at the hospital and efforts were being made to engage another one; a matter which had been under discussion and apparently approved by Professor Shane and Colonel Warren.

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Ubder the circumstances set forth in this letter, I do not now see why we should object to signing the supplement to the contract. For your information I attach hereto a statement of the clause of the contract which is to be amended. It is an addition to clauses already in effect end not a change in other clauses. Will you please give consideration to this matter and advise me as to whether or not you are willing to have the contract amended as indicated. I €un sending Colonel Nichols a copy of this letter so that he may understand the way I am interpreting his letter of March 17 and when he acknowledges receipt of the carbon copy of this letter to you, he should immediately inform me if ay understanding is in any way incorrect. Only with the presumption that ny interpretation is correct will this supplement be signed and returned to him and then only after I receive your approval of this action. Very truly yours. PER DOC REVIEW JAN. 1973