E-mail for Pat Mougey: 1927@glasscity.net
June 2, 1998
Ms. Patricia F. Mougey
1927 Perth Street
Toledo, Ohio 43607
Dear Ms. Mougey:
Thank you for your letter of April 7, 1998 to President Clinton concerning human subject research conducted or sponsored by the Department of Defense (DOD). During World War II and the Cold War era, the DOD and other national security agencies conducted or sponsored many weapons research programs in the interest of national defense. Although military regulations in effect as early as 1953 generally required that volunteers be informed of the nature and foreseeable risks of the studies in which they participated, this did not always occur. In the mid 1970's, Congress, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the DOD, and other governmental agencies became atively involved in examining human research ethics and establishing laws, regulations and procedures for the protetion of human research subjects.
The DOD's current policy governing the utilization of human subjects in research is set forth in Title 32 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 219, Federal Policy for Protection of Human Subjects, 1991 (the federal "Common Rule") and in DOD Directive 3216.2, Protection of Human Subjects in DOD-Supported Research, 1983. Only persons who are fully informed and voluntarily agree to participate may be utilized as human subjects in research. Furthermore, Title 10, U.S.Code, Section 980 expressly prohibits the expenditure of DOD funds for research involving human subjects unless they are fully informed and the voluntary consent of the subjects is obtained.
The policy applies to all research involving human subjects without exception. The DOD has no current or future plans to engage in any experiments that would involve "programming" or subliminal influence of human subjects, and is prohibited from conducting such experiments by the regulatory and statutory constraints described above for the conduct of all research involving human subjects.
I trust that this information will meet your needs. Please be assured that it is the policy of the Department of Defense that the rights and welfare of human subjects in research conducted or supported by the DOD shall be protected. This protection encompasses basic respect for human autonomy, protection of subjects from harm, and justice in the selection of subjects.
Sincerely,
Anna Johnson-Winegar, Ph.D
Director
Environmental and Life Sciences