Waukesha, Wisconsin,
July 19, 1921.

PERSONAL

Dre Je Ce Perry s :
U. 8s Public Health Service
Washington, D. Ce

Dear Drs Perry:

: |
You will probably be surprised at the recommendation I made
yesterday in my letter to the Bureau, asking for the transfer of Dr. Benton
from this stations You will probably remember that we always praised Drs
Benton for his clinical work and heve always said thet in spite of this it

was our opinion that he would make @ poor executive and a poor clinical di-+
rector. Experience with him has borne this out. He was Acting Clinical
Director for two months during Drs Heldt'& absence on official business and

in this position his deficiency had an opportunity to express itself in sev-
eral ways. Patients not his own, with whom he necessarily came in contact,
were often irritated by him. The complaints that have been made against Dr.
Benton to the American Legion and to the newspapers and in affidavits have
been partly worked up by other patients who ‘had it in for hin’, but there is
seme basis for them. It is prebable that Dr. Benton has been irriteted and
disgruntled because he was not promoted when Heldt was and that his irritation
is shown in his work, This, we think, is a poor way for an officer to react
to a disappointment. “e still think that Drs Benton is a splendid clinical
men and that in his old position the opposition to him would subside. ,

: The State officers of the American Legion who consulted with me
yesterday seemed to feel that there is politics in the recent criticism of
the hospital. Although they did not directly express it, ew@h to me, it was
suggested in their ettitude and a minor official has teld me of it. The Le+
gion does not want to get mixed in this politics, especially in any way thet —
might help the faction which has started the trouble presumably to rehabili-
tate themselves with the soldier vote. The Commander of the Legion has re=
ceived a number of complaints about Dr. Benton and thinks there must be some
cause for them, although they have been exaggerated. The Wisconsin News calls
him upoon the telephone about as often as they do me in order to find out when
he is going to start an investigation. He thinks it would avoid further pub-
licity and relieve the source of irritation if Benton were transferred. He
suggested that he would send a wire from here asking for the transfer imnediate-
lye I wrote the letter instead. This would not, of course, have been done if
Benton, by his attitude toward certain cases, had not given those people who
wanted to start the trouble the opportunity they sought. The attitude of the
Legion Officers was favorable to the hospital. They were, in general, well
impressed with the institution and seemed désirous to stop the publicity and
criticism as soon as possible. :

Very truly yours,

Lawrence Kolb, Surgeon in Charea.