U. S&S. Public Health Service Hospital,
: Lexington, Eq tucky.

| ‘September 25, 1937.
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL |

Surgeon General Thoms J. Parran,
U. S. Public Health Service,
Washington, D. C.

Dear Dr. Perran:

I had vaguely heard about Dr. Treadway’s illness but did not know
it was as Sed as it apparently has tumed out to be. I am upset about
it and hope, elong with everyone here who knows him, that he will

speedily recover and resume his duties agein. —

About Superintendent Ryen's letter forwarded to you by Mr. Bennett,
I immediately took the matter up with the locel narcotic agents here end
asked them to conduct any investigation that seemed appropriate. They,
and not the Secret Service, are the people to do this as it comes within
their regular line of duties end they are familiar with the methods that
tive the best results. The narcotic agente have access to the hospital
at all times. Ye asked them to cooperate in the beginning in measures
to keep narcotics out and to detect azcong our employees those who might
Violate the confidence placed in them. They have done this, and, in
fact, assisted materially in gathering evidence that was used to send one
of our attendants to the penitentiary.

We are always vigilant here in our lookout for narcotics. In fact,
one of our senior custedial officers has a number of unofficial informers
who report any suspicious circumstances to him. Through this means we
knew for a while before the arrest of the guilty employee thet e small
amount of narcotics was getting in. Cn two cecasions since then two
rubber fingerstalls full of heroin were introduced. Ye recovered one
of then. It is our belief and also, I believe, the belief of the nar-
cotic agents that this is about all that has got ten into the institu-
tion since it opened.

ee] so sure thet only ea small amount has been introduced that
to us rad ‘only disturbing feature about Mr. Ryan's letter is that it
was written. Addicts tell these tales, especially if they find a recep~
tive ear and hope to get something out of it. Hardly a dey passes here
that some patient on being questioned by a physician either in the formal
examination or before our Classification Board does not say this is the
first time he wes ever cured. Such patients may have been to Leavenworth
two or three times to spend severel years. They positively state that
they could get all the dope they wanted in Leavenworth or some ste te
prison, but we know that their statenents are false, especially as they
apply to Federal prisons, and we pey no attention to them, so the pa-
tients do not invent any Christmas parties for us.

It is quite true, I believe, thet patients want to come to this
hospitel rather then go to prisons and it is also true that some drug
law violators who are net addicts cleim to be addicts because it is a
commendable practice of a large number of judges to give lighter sen-
tenees to addict violators then to sellers of narcotics who are not ad-
dicta. Patients would rather come here than go to prison, not because
they get dope as Wr. Ryan professes to believe, but because they are
treated as patients needing treatment rather than as prisoners to be
punished. Our approach is, I believe, also the ideal of the Bureau of
Prisons but we for several remsons are in a more advantageous position
to put it acrose. = ;

We have along with our treatment splendid discipline among the
‘patients but know that = number of them would put something over on us
if they could do so.

Sincerely yours,

Lawrence Kolb,
Wedical Director,
Medical Officer in Charge.