“ETHICALLY IMPOSSIBLE” STD Research in Guatemala from 1946-1948 
Appendix III: Investigation Methods 
Commission staff broadly searched for relevant documents from 1935, 10 
years preceding the initial planning for the work in Guatemala, through 
1956, one year after Dr. Cutler finished preparing the final report on the 
studies. Secondary literature and additional records from after this time 
specifically related to Dr. Cutler, intentional exposure, and STD research 
were also examined. The Commission staff worked with archivists, historians, 
government officials, and scholars from across the country. 
Searches were undertaken in: 
• Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD 
■ National Archives and Records Administration, various locations: 
■ College Park, MD 
■ Morrow, GA 
■ St. Louis, MO 
■ National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC 
■ National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 
■ New York City Municipal Archives, New York, NY 
■ Pan American Health Organization Headquarters Library, Washington, DC 
■ University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 
■ University of Pennsylvania, University Archives and Records Center, 
Philadelphia, PA 
■ University of Pittsburgh Archives, Pittsburgh, PA 
■ University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, VA 
Additionally, Commission staff specifically requested documents from 
selected government agencies and non-governmental organizations as follows: 
The Center for Mesoamerican Research (CIRMA) : historical materials or 
photographs related to U.S. Public Health Service activities or personnel in 
Guatemala in the 1940s. 
Missouri State Archives : records related to Dr. Richard C. Arnold. 
National Archives and Records Administration : records related to the experiments 
conducted in Guatemala by U.S. PHS officers between 1946-1948; any docu- 
ments relating to the Federal Security Administration, Bureau of State Services, 
U.S. PHS, Venereal Disease Division between 1935-1955, and personnel records 
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