75 years ago today - Mar 23, 1948

[J. Reuben Clark]

Dr. Madsen, Medical Staff of U. of U., Pres. of American Association of Blood Banks. Dr. Madsen came in to see me about the following matter: The Red Cross is attempting to set up a system of blood banks over the country, with a view apparently of gradually acquiring complete control of blood banks of the United States. Their plan is to set up a blood bank in each community which shall be a free blood bank, which will be subsidized by the Red Cross to maintain it. Dr. Madson is the President of the National Association which has general recommendary supervision of the present blood bank system, which is a community system. He states that the LDS Hospital system is all right and sufficient ... Apparently the Red Cross blood Bank idea is in the hands of the Jews, since the dominating factor in the situation is the Harvard University in which a Dr. Cohen and a Dr. Dimond are the moving spirits. Incidentally he tells me that all the key posts in the Utah Medical School are now held by Jews, except possibly the deanship, which is held by a man named Young. He does not know if he is a Jew or not. He is from Nebraska, as I understood him. I told him that so far as I was concerned, I was for the local unit because I wanted to know what blood was put into the bank. I said that I knew I was not speaking by the book, but I felt quite clear in my own mind that our racial characteristics were the result of our blood and that there was a difference in blood, and he said that I was absolutely right on the principle, because they could trace family relationships through blood or rather that certain families would have certain blood characteristics ... I told him I would do what I could to get some backing for him here so that the Red Cross blood bank would not be sold to them here. He said they were centering on Salt Lake City, for some reason. (JRC).

[The Diaries of J. Reuben Clark, 1933-1961, Abridged, Digital Edition, Salt Lake City, Utah 2015]