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‘ April 1, 1991

Michael DeBakey, M.D.
Chancellor and Chairman
Department of Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine
1 Baylor Plaza

Houston, Texas 77030

Dear Mike:

I am making plans to hold a one-day meeting at the National Library of Medicine
on "Regional Medical Programs: Legislation and Activities in the U.S. (1965-74)." We have
tentatively scheduled the meeting for December 6, 1991 in the Lister Hill Auditorium,
probably preceeded on December 5, 1991 by an early evening wine and cheese reception.

Your participation in such an event will be critical. Can you attend on the date
noted? Would you be willing to help us in the interim in connection with planning the
program?

Your help might take the form of responding briefly to our questions by mail, or if
convenient for you, by doing a recorded interview at NLM at a mutually convenient date.
Our questions by mail would likely have to do with names of people, location and
availability of records, and your advice concerning presentations, panels, and persons to be
especially invited (realizing that such a meeting will also be open to the public).

From NLM’s point of view, the meeting will be organized by Dr. John Parascandola,
our Head of the History of Medicine Division. In addition, Prof. Arthur E. Rikli has agreed
to assist us as a consultant to help organize and to contact possible participants.

Why hold such a meeting? I believe RMP was a proud and important effort to
improve health care delivery. There is almost no historical record of these events, and we
hope that the meeting may contribute to remedying this lack. In addition, I believe that we
may learn important lessons for re-examining RMP expectations, implementations, and
ultimately the circumstances of its abandonment. With luck the lessons may illuminate a
clearer path to effective health policy now and in the future.
Lastly, I should tell you that we can probably manage to hold the meeting without
a significant registration charge. On the other hand, there is no obvious source from which
to subsidize most travel expenses. If this lack would prevent your participation, I would very
much appreciate it if you would tell me.

Yours truly,

UV yp
Donald A. B. Lindberg, M.D.
Director

Enclosure - RSVP

cc: Dr. Don E. Detmer

Identical letters sent to:

Robert Q. Marston, M.D.
Merlin K. DuVal, M.D.
Vernon E. Wilson, M.D.
Karl D. Yordy

Roger O. Egeberg, M.D.
Honorable Paul Rogers
William D. Mayer, M.D.