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Office Memoraralum • UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT

Chief, Security Research Staff

DATE: 10 August 1954

Chief, Technical Branch

1. As you are well aware, your Office sponsored and financed a collection trip by , OSI, to Mexico and certain A Latin American areas for the purpose of obtaining rare botanical materials having properties of interest to ARTICHOKE. A conpleted this trip about the end of February 1953 and obtained a number of such botanicals. Subsequently, during March and April 1953, this Office picked up the raw botanicals from and transmitted them to TSS, Four types were transmitted in considerable bulk--certainly sufficient for various analyses. These types were as follows:

chultieinill a. Piule (Rivea) (b. Fiule (Rynchosia) Zozuin. Abrus dntlomld. Erythrina

2. In addition, a considerable bulk of the bark Piscipula which had obtained was transmitted at about this period.

3. It was agreed, if you will recall, at this time, that TSS working through its various ramifications would have these botanicals studied and examined to determine whether or not they were of future value to ARTICHOKE.

L. Since that time (April 1953), this Office has not received any type of written report nor have we received anything but a few vague oral statements as to what has been done or what results have been obtained from the study of these materials.

5. It might be well to mention for the record that in addition to the above, r obtained at least fifteen (15) more interesting botanicals which were also offered in early i953 to TSS for examination. In this, however, TSS requested us not to deliver these materials since they were already swamped by the above deliveries. Again we have never been asked to bring in these additional materials for study.

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6. In view of the-aforementioned, it is respectfully requested that an official inquiry be made through SO channels to TSS for full, detailed and complete reports on the work done and results in the examination and study of the botanicals referred to above in Paragraph 1.

7. Since you are well aware of our present commitments to it is certainly unnecessary to urge the highest possible priority in the handling of this matter.