Frederick E. Breithut letter to Dr. Henry Milton Whelpley - September 1, 1918

Transcript

September 1, 1918. Dear Sir: The envelope in which this letter is inclosed contains also a four-page questionnaire and a franked envelope addressed to the Chemical Warfare Service of the United States Army. The questionnaire is sent you in accordance with the plan of the War Department to conduct a census of American chemists from the standpoint of the country’s wartime need, especially important since recent developments have made it increasingly necessary to know the military status of chemists of all ages. The aim and scope of this census are more fully described in the September issue of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. It will be sufficient to state here that the Government is in need of immediate, accurate, and comprehensive information concerning chemists along the lines indicated in the accompanying questionnaire. The success of the census depends entirely upon the individual chemists of America; therefore upon you. Fill out the questionnaire (using a typewriter if possible), in so far as it applies to you, and return it in the inclosed franked envelope at once; thereafter keep this office informed of any changes in your status. You will not thereby bind yourself in any way to enter the service of the United States, nor does it follow that you will be called upon to do so; but your prompt compliance with the request will in itself be among the greatest public services you can render at the present time. (Signed) FREDERICK E. BREITHUT, Major, Chemical Warfare Service, U.S.A., Chief of Personnel.