Letter by Dr. Louis Jolyon West, January 22nd 1973 to J.M. Stubblebine, Head of the State of California Department of Mental Health.

There’s a letter by Dr. Louis Jolyon West, dated January 22nd 1973. The letter was written to J.M. Stubblebine.

Stubblebine was head of the State of California Department of Mental Health.

West wrote:

DEAR STUB: I am in possession of confidential information to the effect that the Army is prepared to turn over Nike missile bases to state and local agencies for non-military purposes. They may look with special favor on health-related applications.

Such a Nike missile base is located in the Santa Monica Mountains, within a half-hour’s drive of the Neuropsychiatric Institute.

It is accessible but relatively remote.The site is securely fenced, and includes various buildings and improvements making it suitable for prompt occupancy.

If this site were made available to the Neuropsychiatric Institute as a research facility, perhaps initially as an adjunct to the new Center for Prevention of Violence, we could put it to very good use. Comparative studies could be carried out there, in an isolated but convenient location, of experimental or model programs for the alteration of undesirable behavior.

Such programs might include control of drug or alcohol abuse, modification of chronic anti-social or impulsive aggressiveness.

The site could also accommodate conferences or retreats for instruction of selected groups of mental health-related professionals and of others (e.g. law enforcement personnel, parole officers, special educators) for whom both demonstration and participation would be effective modes of instruction.

My understanding is that a direct request by the Governor, or another appropriate officer of the State, to the Secretary of Defense (or, of course, the President) would be most likely to produce prompt results. Needless to say, I stand available to participate in any way that might be helpful.

Sincerely yours,

LOUIS JOLYON WEST, M.D.,
Medical Director