September 30, 1936.

Personal and Confidential

Mr. H. J. Anslinger,

Commissioner of Narcotics,

Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:

We have just received from you a copy of a picture and paragraph clipped from the Chicago Tribune showing a binder harvesting hemp at their Wheaton Experimental Farm. This farm as you will note belongs to the Chicago Tribune. Col. Robert McCormick, manager and principal owner of the Chicago Tribune has his own farm property adjacent thereto.

We have already made this clipping and I have been trying to get in touch with Col. McCormick to ask him some questions before sending out our officers to examine the field. He has been away but has returned and his secretary has told me over the telephone that Mr. Ridgway, who is the person belonging to the Tribune Staff who is personally interested in the experiments at the Farm, will get in personal touch with me on the matter.

I have just called the Tribune again since the picture arrived from Washington, and am informed that if he does not get in communication with me late this afternoon he will tomorrow morning. I shall then make arrangements to visit the farm and inspect the crop and find out everything there is to know about it, and especially whether it is of the "Marihuana" development type, or is in fact ordinary hemp.

Another report to you will follow tomorrow.

Very truly yours,

Signed Elizabeth Bass

Elizabeth Bass,

District Supervisor,

District No. 9.