Hey, prime members, you can listen to American Scandal add-free on Amazon music, download the app today.

A listener note, this series is about a shameful chapter in American history.

As part of telling a story accurately, we present the point of view of doctors and others from the period

who express racist and white supremacist views.

Listener discretion is advised.

There's one thing Peter Buxen hopes everyone at today's meeting understands.

He's no bleeding heart liberal. He's been a Republican all his life.

And that's not going to change. So if they think this is a matter of some naive, starry-eyed idealist from San Francisco,

sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong, well they couldn't be more wrong.

Buxen looks down at his watch. A ceiling fan wears overhead. He shakes his head.

The tardiness is typical of what he's been dealing with since his arrival in Atlanta for the CDC Ciflus Research Conference.

The government invited him out, paid for his flights and accommodations, and then basically ignored him.

The only reason anyone even agreed to this meeting is because Buxen's been making so much noise about the Tuskegee Ciflus study to his bosses at the Public Health Service.

They said it was an opportunity for him to make his argument in person, but Buxen thinks it's just to keep him in line.

Well they can stonewall all they want because Buxen's prepared for a fight.

He looks down at the documents he's brought with him. Reports and charts neatly organized in a plain manila envelope.

All the evidence he needs that the study is a moral outrage.

Finally, hearing footsteps, Buxen double checks the distiestrate.

As the men start to file in, Buxen rises. Hello gentlemen. He's met with silence, frowns, outright glares.

No one shakes his hand, so he sits down again.

The officials cluster around the opposite end of the conference table. The end furthest from Buxen.

So Buxen stands, walks down to their end of the conference table, and takes a seat.

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