Secret 
25 
Moveneer 30, 1943 
Brig. Gen. E. P. Bullene, 
Office of the Chief, 
Chemical Warfare Service, 
War Department, 
Washington 25, D. C. 
%• dear Sir j 
There has been discussed with me in brief outline a proposal 
involving certain experimental work to be performed on the island 
of San Jose in the perlas Islands, Panama. The experiments in ques¬ 
tion require a tract of more or less undisturbed jungle land and 
may involve the killing of a considerable part of the native fauna 
with more or less disturbance to the flora. Possibly the area may 
remain difficult for wildlife for a period of a number of months 
after the work is completed. It is understood that the project is 
necessary in connection with the prosecution of the war effort. 
The Perl&s Islands have a fauna and flora in general similar 
to that of the adjacent Panamanian mainland, though there are 
certain species and subspecies that are peculiar to the islands. 
The situation, however, is not like that in the Galapagos Islands 
there a considerable number of highly peculiar forms are found 
represented only by a small number of individuals and where these 
forms have worldwide interest because of their close relation to 
early work on the Darwinian theory of evolution. 
It is felt that the ex pe rtoepats in question may be carried 
forward on San Jose wi thoUT^n|sturbanoe of the animal and plant 
life found there if the area covered does not include more than 
one-third of the surface of the island, and if the section chosen 
does not take in all of any one type of forest or other environ¬ 
ment found on the island. If no more than one-third is so used, 
then the forms native to the island may be expected subsequently 
tb propagate and extend again to the limited area where they may 
have been destroyed. 
