January 1, 1943

Central Laboratory 505
APO 505
c/o Postmaster
New York, N.Y.

Personal Please

Dear Dr. Dove:

I suppose you have been advised by this time of my safe arrival at destination. We had an uneventful trip and everything is going along as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Like every ponderous machine it moves slowly but with ever increasing momentum. Living conditions are not at all bad and except for missing Deniza and all my friends I am quite contented with my lot.

January 1, 1943

January 1, 1943

Because of certain restrictions, it is almost impossible to give much in the way of happenings. I am greatly impressed with the importance of the eventual problems with which [redacted] you and I and especially the boys at Orlando are concerned. We cannot do too much too soon. Many problems present themselves and it is difficult to keep on the straight course of dealing entirely with the primary one; nevertheless some of them cannot be ignored and it is often necessary to take on additional responsibilities and give help wherever possible. In this connection I shall appreciate your sending me my copy of “Human Parasitology” by Blacklock, and the copy of “Parasitology” by Hegner, Root, and Augustine. I think you will find them amongst the books I left in the office. If you could procure for me a copy of the recent edition of “Medical Entomology” by Herms I should like to have that too. Deniza will reimburse you for whatever it costs. Perhaps you could expedite delivery to me by asking Col. Stone to send them with other official mail. There is, upon my suggestion, an interest in Freon as carrier and dispenser of bactericides for preventing air-borne infections. You might ask Col. Stone if it would be possible for his office to send me two 25 lb. cylinders of the material direct together with 5 empty 5-lb. dispensers and full instructions as to equipment for filling the small cylinders from the large ones. This equipment is also desired in connection with other work which has been assigned me. There is no use of my ordering it through channels as it does not appear on regular supply tables available here and I shall have to write elaborate specifications. Another problem to which I must give attention is the prevention of scabies. If it is possible and not too inconvenient I would appreciate your discussing this with Dr. Haller and Col. Stone and sending me at least gallon samples of any promising liquid acaricides especially emulsions or solutions of the less irritating derris or cube derivatives. The necessity for liquids is that of rapid application as a spray and the treatment of a considerable number of persons in a short time. As soon as you develop any promising lousicidal powder I should like to have samples to determine their efficacy in preventing sarcoptes infestation. Should opportunity afford research work there on scabies prevention and rapid treatment would be well worth while. One last request, could you discuss with Dr. Calvery of Food & Drug what his organization has found out about commercial wetting agents which are non-toxic to man and if he knows of any forward samples to me through Col. Stone. I know you must be extremely busy at this time and I trust the above requests will not be of too much trouble to you. How is everything going at the office? Give my best wishes to everyone in the Division and all my friends in the Bureau. How is Ina and the boys, Claudelle and B.M.? Please remember me to them. I think the above address will be rather permanent for me so if you can find a spare moment to write I shall be delighted to hear from you.

Sincerely
Emory C. Cushing, Maj. 5th C.[?].

Notes on the back of the envelope in Walter’s handwriting:
sesame
cotton seed
corn
Gesarol

Gesarol is the same as Neocid – both are Geigy trade names for a novel compound Walter and his colleagues are testing as a possible lousicide.

January 20, 1943

I’m not going to transcribe this lengthy exchange verbatim, but it’s an interesting discussion. Walter received a letter from George Decker, with whom he’d worked on grasshopper control in the 1930s. Decker is now working on chinch bugs in the midwest, and has heard rumors that the USDA is desperately seeking entomologists with field experience for the war effort. He asks Walter if he should offer his services. Walter writes back to describe the Army’s current recruiting efforts for science officers, and to point out that those working on domestic crop production are already considered critical to the war effort and therefore unlikely to be allowed to transfer.

January 20, 1943

January 20, 1943

February 6, 1943

Headquarters Fifth Army,
A.P.O. #464, New York, NY,
February 6, 1943.

Dear Dr. Dove:

My work is developing rapidly and it looks as though I will have a busy season. Will you please ask Mr. Stage to locate an article by M. Bates in which he reviews, catalogs and proposes a new classification of the maculipenis group of Anopheles with special references to South European farms. This paper is mentioned on page 127 of reprint “A Review of Mosquito Work Throughout the World in 1941.” If you can send me the Bates paper it will be most helpful. Also I would like a copy of the review of mosquito work for 1942 as soon as it is available. Any paper on the spreading of oil by airplane for the control of mosquitoes will be invaluable to me.

February 6, 1943

February 6, 1943

It is impossible for me to discuss my work but Col. Stone probably can inform you of my activities. I have worked up a comprehensive memorandum of practical insect control which I should like for you to see if a copy is available in his office. You might mention this to him sometime. I have had some interesting encounters with fleas.

I have been well since being here and my only complaint as to climate is the quick changes in temperature experienced here. North Africa is, to say the least, exciting. You will note from the above address that I have a new assignment. I am more than pleased with my work and although the responsibilities are great I feel fully equal to the tasks assigned me. This is a paradise for anyone concerned with insects and parasites affecting man.

Believe me when I say I have learned how to handle that bed roll. My sleeping bag turned out well and is plenty warm. I will not expand on the virtues and vices of G.I. soap, canned beef and other Army stand-bys as you know all of this through experience.

My best regards to Mrs. Dove and the boys and to my friends in the office. I have used and reused the glass vials your secretary gave me, they are the only ones of their kind in Africa.

Sincerely,
R.A. Roberts, Capt. Sc.C.

P.S. We have received none of the #612* yet. All of our orders are being filled with Indalone “Scat,” when will #612 hit production and can some of our orders be changed to that?

* Probably Rutgers 612, an insect repellent that predates and is apparently less effective than the now-ubiquitous DEET.

February 8, 1943

An article in the January 1943 issue of The Country Gentleman magazine featured Walter’s work on insect control and its importance in the war effort. After the piece came out a number of people contacted him. This inquiry is from a genealogist researching Dove ancestry.

February 8, 1943

February 8, 1943

February 27, 1943

February 27, 1943

Hon. Will Leach
Judges Chambers
Scranton, Pennsylvania

Dear Will:

I hope you will pardon my delay in answering your good letter of January 6. I can assure you that I was very pleased to hear from you and to learn of your recent successes. The results of the polls in 1927 up to the present time have certainly been a tribute to your ability and it is a real pleasure to learn that one who can survive the battle of Valdahon could return to his native city and pick up where he left off prior to the last World War.

February 27, 1943

February 27, 1943

I recall very clearly your interest in entomology with Lt. Cliff, but your test did not seem to warrant any suggestions from me. You will probably also remember when Alphabet Fields and someone else returned from leave with infestations of cooties. The clothing was removed and placed under the cover of a motor box where it was fumigated with a cyanimide gas. Fortunately Artin had some sodium cyanimide and sulfuric acid in the shop – just exactly what we needed for fumigation of the clothing. At the time I knew of no tests with this fumigant on cooties, but we did observe that all stages including the eggs sere killed and that there was no further infestation in Flight C. I have since had an opportunity to check on such fumigations and found that they are very effective. They are not recommended for use in the Army because of the extreme danger of hydrocyanic acid gas. We have developed one which we think is much better, and we hope that the soldiers in this conflict will have the same opinion.

The article which you saw in the Country Gentleman might lead you to believe that my interest is entirely in cooties. As a matter of fact, we are making studies and experiments on a number of pests that affect combat troops. We have made some recommendations which are already in use, and we are striving for even better materials in order to prevent typhus, malaria and the annoyance caused by the pests.

I hope that you will come to Washington in the near future and that you will have time for a good visit. We have three sons in our family ranging from two to thirteen and Mrs. Dove does a good job in looking after their wishes. If possible let me know a day or two before you come to Washington so that we can make definite plans.

It was mighty fine of you to write to me as soon as you had my address, and I also appreciate your mention of our interest to the Hon. John W. Murphy who has succeeded Congressman Boland.

With very best wishes, and looking forward to seeing you at some early date, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Walter

April 30, 1943

Postmarked Chicago.

April 30, 1943

This train will not reach Chicago until 1:30 PM but it is less crowded. Hope to be able to make the meeting in time. Will be Hotel LaSalle there until Saturday night and will then go to Dallas for a few days, to Menard, Uvalde and return. Hotel Jefferson at Dallas in case you wish to get in touch with me. Seems cool for a light suit but it will be hot further south.

Love
Walter

April 30, 1943

April 30, 1943

May 2, 1943

St. Louis – May 2, 930 AM.

Will leave here at 215 on the Blue Bonnet (MKT). Had a good session Chicago and the 1st booklet is finished for the printer. It is going to help me keep track of C. americana this year. About 1/2 million copies already ordered by dairy firms. I telephoned Mrs. Fox (nee Susette Fowler) of our class 13 A&M. Had a nice visit. She talks like an old lady. Mr. Fox knows Marshall and said Marshall looked after some business matter for him at Philadelphia.

With love
Walter.

Jefferson Hotel
Dallas.

May 2, 1943

May 2, 1943

May 29, 1943

Stamped “Restricted.”

Gen’l Medical Laboratory
APO 519 c/o Postmaster
New York, New York
May 29, 1943

Dear Walter:

May thanks for your letter of March 12 and the information contained in the enclosures. The report on the results of tests on scabies is very interesting and I have discussed it with the Dermatologist who is in charge of that disease in our forces. I am interested to learn whether the benzyl benzoate, alcohol, SAT formula would be effective against motile lice and louse eggs on the body. Have any tests along this line been done? I notice in Circular Letter No. 33 Office Surgeon General, Feb. 2, 1943 “Treatment and control of certain tropical diseases,” a formula for delousing the bodies of infested personnel. Would this be one that was developed at Orlando? The possibilities of the impregnated clothing especially with the new insecticide seems like the answer to a prayer, and appears not to be outside the limits of practicability for the protection of all troops. I should very much like to test it on a large scale with troops but this appears to be out of the question here as the incidence of infestation is almost nil. For some time, I have been urging that I or some one else be sent to areas where problems are more acute and where practical tests could be run with new recently developed materials under a variety of conditions. So far, it hasn’t apparently been deemed fit to release me for work of that kind, but to keep me here for odd bits of consultant service in my line of work and more or less to be on hand should something develop. Maybe this is as it should be but it is certainly not what I would expect. There is so much yet to be learned on the practical side for the new methods.

May 29, 1943

May 29, 1943

The box of books and Freon cylinders which you so kindly sent has never reached me and I suppose they went to the bottom somewhere along the way.

I am anxioius to see Gen. B. and Buxton when they return in order to get first hand information on the work there. The OSRD reports are coming through fine now and I read them with intense interest. If you could send one or two pounds of SAT we could do a good test on scabies. Eddy’s report didn’t mention what kind of alcohol was used. Would you let us have that information?

How is everything going in the Division? Deniza tells me that Coeline didn’t get her promotion. It’s a darned shame but I know you did everything possible for her.

Give my regards to everyone there and the rest of the folks in the Division when you see them. Remember me to Ina and the boys.

Sincerely yours
Emory C. Cushing

Attached note forwarding the letter to Knipling: “If you care to answer & send SAT that you have tested, we will ship from here. W.E. Dove.”