Miss Winifred C+ Putnam

Ageistant Director

The Netional Information harenn, Ince
215 Fourth Avenue

My doar Miss Putnam:

Referring to your letter of resent date inquiring of the attitude
of government authorities towards Captain Hobson's World Conference on
Narcotic Edueetion, you are advised that go far ag 1 heve been able to
determine the executive departments having to de with narcotic education
or with the Philadelphia exposition look upon his conference with contempt | |
and are resentful begause of the methods he has used to spread the impression
that these departments support his movenente There is also resentment |
peeause of the persistent and unscrupulous efforts he has made to bring
about the endorsement of his general program by government agencies that —
he has been told oan never honestly endorse ite I have considerable oon»
por pee information about the foregoing thet I am not at liberty te

sclosee

The conference is the third effort thet Captain Hobson has made

to enlist the support of the governmente I om sending you e copy ofa
circular, together with prepesed resolution, that was sent out in i
dune,1925 not enly to superintendents of education but te hundreds of
physicians end others» The cireular was accompanied by coples of the
article: “The Peril of Nercoties", which article was printed as an extension
of remarks in the Congressional Record efter the comaltties te which it had
been referred for consideration refused te endorse ite You will mounts
that the inclosed resolution calls for a world confere : vor
This applics also to another draft of the resolutio ted
to the Head of one of the Departments last fail, but witheut vseulha
eer? to Captain Hobsone The resolution that the House of Representative

ot and pagsed simly called for appropriate bici pat on | United
States Rg the Philedelphie conferences her "wo “ROT ““appropr! e
Was montionede ‘The resolution was referred ro the otihas comittes thus
avoiding Mr+Porter, Chairmen of the Foreign Relations Committee, who has
represented the United States abroad on epium committees and who pee |

knows © great deal about the subject.

  

 
  
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Some of Captatn Hobson's friends testified at the Hearings.
ie one in the government service was asked to appear, so far as I have
been able to determine, and I believe that none of the government departments
knew that the resolution had been introduced until it was passede I have
been advised that MrePorter was absent when the resolution came up and that
but for this he would have opposed ite He, no doubt, knows that the League
of Nakions opposed narcotic education by propaganda and he probably alse
knows that Captain Hobson tried to enlist the support of the opium committee
of the League but without successes

in the Hearings it was made to appear, by the adroit insertion
of one half of a sentence from the agreement of the first opium conference,
that the nations represented at Geneva favored narcotic educations It
was not stated, however, that the education mentioned referred to education
ageinst smoking opium in the Eastern provinces ‘of the eight nations
represented at the first conference, nor wasthepositive stand taken
against narcotic education by the body representing all of the nations
referred to at alle

In the face of a rebuff by the State Department, Captain Hobson
sent out a cirouler letter to ambassadors and ministers inviting then
to send representatives to the conference, and intinating the United
States was behind hime

The resolution that passed the House has been referred to ‘the —
Foreign Relations Committee of the Senates There are on this committee
several senaters who have become familiar with Captain Hebson's organizations
The committee has mde inquiries abowt the resolution ond I widerstend
ea is is decidedly hostiles |

_ fhe feeling of all of the government departments concerned, and 1
 ‘pelleve also of the Senate combtbees is that the Philadelphia conferenve
is & gesture of propaganda for the purpose of advertising the
International Nercotie Edyeation Associations I think, however, it may
gafely be said that no government serviee will participate in ite bub
at the same time the advertising campaign carried on by Captain Hobson,
in which he claims or infers thet practically all authorities and agencies
are enthusiastically behind him, will doubtless bring together a good
erowd of people most of whom know practically nothing about narcotic ett.»
eduentione-

I will be pleased to here this letter regarded as confidentials

Sincerely yours,

—_—— Lawrence Kolb,

LK=mgl Surgeons