HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 7American Psychiatric Association, believed it was not appropriate and
suggested the new agency be named the National Psychiatric Institute.
John C. Whithorne, the first representative of the American Psychiatric
Association on the National Research Council, urged the use of the
term “mental health” “to emphasize the aim toward which many differ
ent disciplines might contribute.”^28
The proposed institute’s name was changed to the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), to reflect a broad and optimistic mission of
promoting mental health and combating mental illness.^29 This contrast
ed with the missions of the other NIH institutes, the NCI or the National
Heart Institute (NHI), for example, which focused on disease conditions.
The National Mental Health Advisory Council
The NIMH’s authorization for construction and equipment of hos
pitals and laboratory facilities was increased to $7.5 million but because
the Act’s programs did not require that they be conducted at the
NIMH, no money was appropriated by Congress for the operation of
the NIMH.^30 Only the Greentree Foundation, a small organization from
New York, provided Felix with $15,000. Felix used this money to finance
the first two National Mental Health Advisory Council (NMHAC)
meetings on August 15-16, 1946, and January 1947. The NMHAC was
charged with implementing the Act’s goals and looking out for the
public’s interest, from reviewing research and training grant applica
tions to advising the Surgeon General on all PHS programs involving
mental health.^31 It originally consisted solely of six experts whom Felix
himself recommended to the Surgeon General.^32 Felix described the
first selection as follows:
I proposed a list to [Surgeon General Dr. Thomas]
Parran....Some of those people were picked for political or
pay-off reasons....the law said that 2 could be chosen for 3
years, 2 for 2 years, and 2 for 1 year, so we were to draw the
names out of a hat. So we put a name in a hat and drew it out
and that way we got what we wanted....Frank [F.] Tallman
and George [S.] Stevenson....were chosen for 1 year. George
Stevenson...was a pay-off to the National Committee for
Mental Hygiene....Frank Tallman...was a pay-off to the