The Documents
June 2, 1974 Laetrile Meeting with Top Leaders (Minutes)
On June 2, 1974 a meeting was held at The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters. The meeting’s purpose was to discuss conducting human clinical trials using Laetrile or similar “cyanide-releasing” substances based on the overwhelmingly positive lab studies conducted by Sloan-Kettering’s Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura.
These minutes were obtained via a “Freedom of Information Act” request.
Read: June 2, 1974 Minutes from Laetrile meeting at the FDA
1975 – The Leaked Documents Package
After all attempts to get the attention of mainstream journalists using these leaked documents, Ralph W. Moss, PhD packaged the documents up and sent them anonymously to “The Committee For Freedom Of Choice In Cancer Therapy” – which continued to distribute them in an attempt to alert the American public of this cover-up.
Read the leaked documents package here.
1977 Second Opinion Special Report: Laetrile At Sloan-Kettering
This 48-page document was written in the summer of 1977 by Ralph W. Moss, PhD and other anonymous rank-in-file employees of Sloan-Kettering. This report was written in response to the alleged “negative” findings of Sloan-Kettering’s Laetrile studies from 1973-1977. This document was also given to all in attendance of the November 1977 press conference held by Second Opinion.
Read the “Second Opinion Special Report: Laetrile At Sloan-Kettering Special” document here.
November 22, 1977 Letter to Second Opinion from Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura
While Ralph W. Moss, PhD was still an anonymous participant in Second Opinion, he sent his evaluation of Sloan-Kettering’s papers on their Laetrile studies (Special Report on Laetrile) to Dr. Sugiura, who was the lead scientist conducting the studies. This letter is Dr. Sugiura’s response to Ralph’s evaluation of his work and how Sloan-Kettering diabolically manipulated the positive data. The letter is addressed to Alec Pruchnicki, the only public “face” of Second Opinion at this time.
Read the Nov. 22, 1977 letter to Second Opinion from Dr. Sugiura
July 30, 1979 letter from Dr. Kanematsu Sugiura
Shortly after the release of this documentary, the film’s director was contacted by a man named John Pittman Hey, who had written to Dr. Sugiura regarding the laetrile cover-up back in 1979—and Dr. Sugiura responded. This is a very special and rare letter, and Mr. Hey has given us permission to post it here. It’s incredible how focused Dr. Sugiura was even at this late age – and how he steadfastly stood behind the results he found while testing Laetrile at Sloan-Kettering. It also shows what kind of man Dr. Sugiura was to write a handwritten 4-page letter to a total stranger. He wrote this letter 3 months before his death.
Read the July 30, 1979 letter from Dr. Sugiura to Mr. Hey
October 24, 1979 Letter to Ralph W. Moss, PhD from Linus Pauling
After Ralph was fired for exposing the Laetrile cover-up at Sloan-Kettering, he wrote a book about his experience called The Cancer Rebellion: Hope and Betrayal, that was to eventually become The Cancer Industry. Linus Pauling had some very strong words towards “The War On Cancer”.
Read the letter from Linus Pauling to Ralph W. Moss
1971 Congressional Testimony from the NCI’s Dr. Dean Burk
*This document is not included in Second Opinion, but it gives some insight to the political climate around Laetrile when the War On Cancer was first enacted. This is congressional testimony by Dr. Dean Burk, the head of the National Cancer Institute’s Cytochemistry Sector, with Congressman Symington.
Read the 1971 Congressional Testimony with Dr. Burk and Rep. Symington
* This is only a small sampling of documents related to this story.