April 26, 1948
Memorandum re Heart Legislation
There was an impression in the Senate corridors Saturday (April 24) that the heart bill would have to be rewritten as an amendment to the USPH act, with the National Heart Institute patterned after the NCI and the National Mental Health act. The authority to rest with the National Heart Council and with a specific requirement that six cardiac specialists sit on the council of 12 members.
It is still believed that Senator Smith will not regard early floor action on the heart bill favorably until the science bill is out of the way.
There is also the thought that the heart legislation if it gets through this year will come as an amendment to the USPH act and be a part of some other legislation going through this year.
Some observers believe that if the appropriations committee were so disposed they could encourage the USPH to create a National Heart Institute as another unit of the National Health Institute with no further legislation necessary other than an appropriation of 5 million for heart research and 10 million in contractual obligations to support additional heart research facilities throughout the nation where adequate scientific manpower existed.  It is doubtful if any substantial construction monies would be voted to expand facilities in Washington (i.e. Bethesda) beyond the plans already in existence for the medical center there.
There may be some wisdom in exploring the appropriations route and leaving the other USPH amendments desired  in the heart bill until next year. If the appropriations route could be used to provide contractual constructions monies perhaps Senator Smith and Mr. Volverton could envision the proposed Ohl Research Foundation taking over the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research near Princeton and to be managed by the Princeton-Rutgers research organizations.
Contractual construction monies would permit the start of a new heart and cancer research foundation.
JHT