The Fitzgerald Report (1953)
Background
In the early 1950s, Senator Charles Tobey's son was diagnosed with cancer and given less than two years to live by orthodox medicine. He sought alternative treatment, reportedly made a full recovery, and in the process learned of alleged conspiracies to suppress effective cancer therapies.
Senator Tobey enlisted Benedict Fitzgerald, an investigator for the Interstate Commerce Commission, to investigate these allegations. Fitzgerald conducted a thorough investigation into cancer research organizations, alternative treatments, and the suppression of therapeutic options.
Senator Tobey intended to submit the report to the Congressional Record himself, but died before he could do so. His son, Charles W. Tobey Jr., submitted it in his place on August 3, 1953.
Opening Statement
"May I, with propriety, call your attention to the tragedy which has invaded the United States Senate. Four great Americans, all of them—Senator McMahon, Senator Wherry, Senator Vandenberg, and Senator Bob Taft—were all stricken down with this dreaded disease. We are under a compelling moral obligation to the memory of these great public servants and to the untold millions of cancer sufferers throughout the world to carry on this Investigation."
Key Findings
On Conspiracy
On Suppression of Clinics
On the Hoxsey Treatment
Fitzgerald specifically addressed the Hoxsey case, referencing the 1949 libel trial:
On Orthodox Medicine's Claims
Recommendations
The Fitzgerald Report urged Congress to investigate whether medical associations engaged in "harassment, ridicule, slander, and libelous attacks" against practitioners of alternative cancer therapies. It called for examination of:
- The role of the AMA in suppressing alternative treatments
- The use of public and private funds to destroy non-conforming clinics
- Whether promising treatments were being denied to cancer patients
- The influence of pharmaceutical interests on cancer research priorities
Historical Significance
The Fitzgerald Report remains one of the few official government documents to acknowledge the possibility of organized suppression of alternative cancer treatments. While its recommendations were never fully acted upon, the report has become a foundational document for those who believe effective cancer treatments have been systematically blocked by institutional interests.
The report's conclusion that a "conspiracy does exist" has been cited by advocates of alternative medicine for over 70 years as evidence that the medical establishment prioritized institutional interests over patient welfare.