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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, December 08, 1949, Image 1

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Weather Forecast
Sunny and windy with high in low 40s to
day. Clear and colder tonight, low in high
20s. Tomorrow fair. (Full report on Page
A-2.)
Midnight, 43 6 a.m. —36 11 a.m. „._39
2 a.m. —41 8 a.m. 37 Noon_40
4 a.m. 39 10 a.m. ..-38 1 p.m. 40
Late New York Markets, Page A-31.
Guide for Readers
fat*
After Dark_D-6
Amusements —D-5
Comics_D-12-13
Editorial_A-18
Finance _A-31
Food Page-A-21
Pm
Lost and Found A-3
Obituary _A-30
Radio_D-13
Sports_C-l-4
Women's
Section_B-3-6
An Associated Press Newspaper
97th Year. No. 337.
Phone ST. 5000 *★
WASHINGTON, D. CL THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1949—SEVENTY-EIGHT PAGES.
City Home Delivery, Dally and Sunday, $1.20 a Month: when 5 ST ('''Tr’MHPSS
Sundays, $1.30. Night Final Edition, $1.30 and $1.40 per Month. «* Vya-i-is J. kj
GrovesWithheld
Secret Reports
From Wallace
'Preferred Not to'Give
Data to Vice President,
Ex-Atom Chief Says
CANADIAN SHIPMENT of Ura
nium to Reds in ’43 Described.
Page A-5.
By the Associated Pross
NEW YORK, Dec. 8.—Lt. Gen.
Leslie R. Groves, retired, said to
day he had withheld from former
Vice President Henry A. Wallace
secret reports on atomic develop
ments which normally would have
gone to Mr. Wallace.
Asked whether there was any
special reason for not showing
the reports to Mr. Wallace, the
wartime head of the Nation’s
atomic bomb project said, “I pre
ferred not to.”
Gen. Groves made the state
ment in a telephone interview
from Norwalk, Conn. He is a
vice president of Remington Rand,
in charge of the company’s ad
vanced research.
Gen. Groves said he showed
Mr. Wallace one of the reports in
the fall of 1943, but none there
after. He Testified yesterday be-j
fore a subcommittee of the House
Committee on Un-American Ac
tivities that neither Mr. Wallace
nor the late Harry Hopkins used
pressure on him to get atomic
secrets for shipment to Russia.
Hopes Probe Will Continue.
The general was asked whether
he knew if the Russians had ob
tained secret information from
any sources.
“Yes, of course, they did,” he
replied. “How much they ob
tained nobody knows.”
Gen. Groves said he was “very
anxious to see the committee
continue its probe as I'm sure it
has every intention of doing.
“I hope that the probe will be
concerned with the truly vital
question of whether there were
enormous, unnecessary wartime
shipments to Russia.”
Asked whether his testimony
yesterday could be interpreted as
discrediting the story of George
Racey Jordan, former Air Force
major, that suspicious wartime
shipments were sent to Russia,
Gen. Groves said:
“The details of Mr. Jordan’s
testimony are relatively unim
portant.
"The real point at issue to me
Is the answer to the question, ‘Was
there an undue drain of American
wealth into the Soviet Union dur
ing the wrar which had no reason
able bearing on the waging of a
successful war against our com
mon enemy?’ ”
Withheld Some Reports.
Gen. Groves gave these answers
to questions asked him by an As
sociated Press reporter:
Q. Did you withhold secret re
ports on atomic developments
from Mr. Wallace?
A. Yes. I didn’t show them to
him after showing him one in
the fall of 1943.
Q. Would they normally have
been shown to Mr. Wallace in his
position as a member of the
President’s Special Committee on
Atomic Energy?
A. Normally they would have
gone to him but they didn’t.
Q. Was there any special reason
for not showing them to him?
A. I preferred not to.
Q. Would you consider this a
deliberate withholding of infor
mation to Mr. Wallace?
A. Some people might think so.
Q. Was there any special reason
for not showing Mr. Wallace the
secret reports?
A. We took a number of de
liberate risks on security matters
in an effort to bring the war to
a quicker end, but we took no un
necessary, recognizable risks.
Elaborates on Testimony.
Gen. Groves’ statements today
were in elaboration of those made
yesterday in Washington. There
he explained that the secret re
ports were made available to the
President, certain high military
leaders and scientists, and, on one
occasion, to Mr. Wallace.
Gen. Groves said that he took
the report to Mr. Wallace's office
and was kept waiting for some
time. He said that after show
ing the report to the Vice Pres
ident, “I made up my mind that
(See ATOMIC, Page A-3.)
ur-Day Wildcat Strike
Oak Ridge Plant Ends
By tht Associated Press
|AK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 8.—
X*T. Cook, manager of Oak
Rid»e operations for the Atomic
Ene*y Commission, said today a
fouiVday wildcat strike of con
struction workers on this giant
atomic project site has ended.
“It looks like a wholesale back
to-work movement this morning,”
he said.
He added that all 10 striking
crafts ql the AFL Knoxville Build
ing Trades Council were repre
sented in the return-to-work
movement at Maxon Construc
tion Co.
Maxon is the Government con
tractor building two new atomic
plants here.
“Not all the workers are back
as yet, but they are returning
fast," Cook said.
Contradictions in Statements
Admitted by Acalotti's Accuser
Waitress Testifies on Newspaper Affidavit;
Another Witness Backs Threat Charge
JUDGE MARBURY JAILS Two
Gamblers, Warns Others to
Quit. Page A-25.
By W. H. Shippen, Jr.
Bernice Franklin today ad
mitted at the “threats” trial of
Attilio Acalotti that she had made
a statement to a newspaper which
partially contradicted some of the
charges she had made against
Acalotti in connection with his
alleged gambling activities and his
efforts to intimidate her as a Gov
ernment witness. Acalotti is on
trial in District Court.
The attractive redhead, who has
said she lived with Acalotti and
informed on him only after he re
fused to get out of the numbers
and horse race betting business,
admitted under cross-examina
tion that she made a signed affi
davit to the Times-Herald in
which she described the situation
as "all politics as far as I am
concerned.”
Acalotti is accused of having
threatened Miss Franklin after
she had appeared before a special
grand jury that was investigating
gambling in the District area.
She was a key witness before the
grand jurors whose investigation
resulted in widespread raids here
and in nearby Maryland. Her
charge that Acalotti threatened
her was corroborated by a second
witness today.
Miss Franklin said she first
went to the Washington Post in
February, 1948, and made a sworn
statement wThich was later re
peated to the District Attorney’s
office and to the grand jury. Yes
terday she named three police
(Continued on Page A-4, Col. 1.)
Hiss' Attorney Grills
Wadleigh on Source
01 Secret Documents
Ex-Official Admits Giving
Data to Chambers, but
Not Papers in This Case
By Newbold Noyes, Jr.
Star Staff Correspondent
NEW YORK. Dec. 8.—Attorney
Claud B. Cross today began one
of the key defense operations of
the Alger Hiss perjury retrial—a
biting cross-examination of Henry
Julian Wadleigh, designed to dis
credit the former State Depart
ment official and show that he
may have been the source of secret
documents w'hich Mr. Hiss is
accused of turning over to Whit
taker Chambers in 1937 and 1938.
Mr. Wadleigh admits he was
one of Mr. Chambers’ State De
partment sources. But under
direct examination by Thomas F.
Murphy, assistant United States
attorney, he said he did not think
that he had supplied any of the
material which had been produced
in evidence against Mr. Hiss.
He said he might have seen
some of this material in the State
Department and could not state
positively that he had not turned
over part of it to Mr. Chambers
himself. But he said he did not
remember having done so with
any of the 87 secret messages
which are involved in the case.
Argument Over Word “Steal.
The first minutes of the defense
lawyer's cross-examination con
sisted of a duel between witness
and attorney over the meaning
of the word “steal.” Again and
again Mr. Cross referred to Mr.
Wadleigh’s having “stolen” from
the Government and each time
Mr. Wadleigh' solemnly corrected
him.
Mr. Wadleigh insisted that what
he had done was to "pass over”
some material to the Russian spy
machine, but that this was not
stealing.
Mr. Wadleigh said he started i
co-operating with the Commu
nists, although not himself a party
member, while working for the
Agriculture Department in 1935.
He told the lawyer he made this
statement “with reservations as
to your use of the word steal—I
(See HISS. Page A-30.)
U. S. Cotton Crop Forecast
Boosted to 16 Million Bales
The Agriculture Department, in
its final report of the year, today
estimated the 1949 cotton crop
at 16,034,000 bales of 500 pounds
gross weight.
This estimate is 510,000 bales
more than the 15,524,000 bales
forecast a month ago. It com
pares also with 14,877,000 pro
duced last year and with a 10-year
(1938-47) average of 11,306,000.
This year’s crop has produced
a surplus supply above market
needs and a reserve deemed by
law to be ample. As a conse
quence, Secretary Brannan has
set planting allotments calling
for a 20 per cent reduction in
1950 production.
Mr. Brannan also has proposed
rigid marketing quotas on the
1950 crop. Quotas will be sub
mitted to growers at a referen
dum December 15. They must be
approved by at least two-thirds
of the growers voting before they
can be put into effect.
Truman'Questions Reporters
In Press Conference Takeoff
By Joseph A. Fox
Star Staff Correspondent
KEY WEST, Fla., Dec. 8—Pres
ident Truman today paid an un
expected visit to the press room
set up for coverage of his vacation
here—and put reporters and pho
tographers through a cross-exami
nation as to the manner in which
they are spending their time.
The smiling Chief Executive ex
plained that “I have had several
wires wanting to know what you
fellows are doing,” and that he
consequently would try to get an
honest count.
He received varying answers.
Introduced by Press Secretary
Charles G. Ross as “the distin
guished contributor to the Fed
U. N. Calls on World
To Respect Political
Freedom of China
Problems of Nationalists
Given Little Assembly
For Continual Watch
By the Associated Press
NEW YORK, Dec. 8.—The
United Nations Assembly today
called on all the world to keep
hands off China and to respect
her treaties. The Assembly also
decided to keep a continuing
watch over the Chinese problem—
and Nationalist charges of Soviet
intrusion—by referring it to the
year-'round little Assembly.
The hands-off policy was initi
ated by the United States with
four others powers as co-sponsors.
Nationalist China had urged
strong action condemning Russia
as an aggressor and urging all na
tions to refrain from diplomatic
recognition of the Chinese Com
munists. The Chinese delegation,
however, agreed to shunt the
problem to the Little Assembly
after it became apparent it faced
certain defeat on its own reso
lution.
The quick disposition of the
Chinese problem came as a sur
prise. Most delegates had ex
pected the debate to continue
throughout the day. This made
adjournment of the 1949 Assembly
by tomorrow virtually certain.
Jerusalem Issue Delayed.
The Assembly put over until to
morrow its final action on a com
mittee-approved plan to make
Jerusalem an international city, a
project that has failed in the last
two years and is opposed by the
occupying powers. Israel and
Hashemite Jordan.
The Assembly adjourned at
11:33 a.m. after meeting only 37
minutes. It will meet again at
9:30 a.m. tomorrow when it hopes
to clear its calendar.
The American plan—also spon
sored by Australia, Mexico, Pakis
tan and the Philippines—made no
specific mention of Russia.
The five-power resolution was
approved first by a vote of 22 to 4,
with 3 abstaining, and many of
the 59 national delegations absent.
Chile challenged the vote on the
ground that no quorum was pres
ent. On the second ballot the
proposal was approved by a vote
of 45 to 5 with no abstentions.
The negative votes were cast by
the Soviet bloc.
The five-power resolution ap
pealed to the world:
1. To respect the political in
dependence of China.
2. To respect the right of the
people of China now and in the
future to choose freely their polit
ical institutions and to maintain
a government independent of for
eign control.
3. To respect existing treaties
relating to China.
4. To refrain from (a) seeking
~ (See uTnTTpage A-2.)
U. S. Pilot Parachutes
To Safety in Germany
By the Associated Press
FRANKFURT, Germany, Dec.
8.—An American fighter pilot
parachuted to safety over Ger
many today when his F-47 Thun
derbolt plane caught fire at 10,000
feet.
He was Maj. John G. Barry, jr„
of Baltimore, Md. Maj. Barry
was uninjured in the jump, near
Fuerstenfeldbruck Air Base in
Bayaria. __
eral Register”—the Government’s
official bulletin—the President
asked, among other things, “How
many of you fellows have written
to your wives at least once?”
The bedtime hour, breakfast
habits and financial status were
other items covered.
There were some other things
he might ask, Mr. Truman said,
but he didn’t want to get “per
sonal.”
The President was working with
notebook and pencil, but whether
he took notes wa% not quite clear.
Secretary William D. Hassett,
an interested observer, suggested
it was a good thing the answers
(See TRUMAN, Page A-2.)
iChiang'sRegime
Quits Mainland,
Goes to Formosa
Guerrilla Forces Left
Behind to Continue
Harassment of Reds
By th* Associated Pres*
CHENGTU, Dec. 8.—The Na
tionalists shifted their capital to
Formosa today and virtually
abandoned most of the mother
country to the Reds.
The sweeping move was de
creed by the cabinet. It could
mean the end of large-scale war
fare in China after 22 hectic
years.
Guerrilla forces were left be
hind to keep pecking at the Reds.
But the main Chinese force was
in or headed for Sichang, behind
Sikang’s snow-covered mountains,
Formosa, on Hainan Island, 300
miles southwest of British Hong
j Kong.
Stronghold Prepared.
Formosa is Generalissimo Chiang
Kai-shek's stronghold which has
been armed and equipped for a
last ditch stand against victorious
Chinese Communists. It is China's
flftii capital this year.
The emergency cabinet session
also decided to make Sichang, in
Sikang Province west of Chengtu,
general headquarters for opera
tions on the mainland.
The cabinet accepted the resig
nation of Gen. Chang Chun from
the post of director of Southwest
China headquarters. Gen. Ku
Chu-tung was given this job in
addition to his present duties as
chief of staff.
Gens. Hu Tsung-man and Yang
Sen were named deputy directors.
2 Guerrilla Forces Set Up.
Two guerrilla forces to operate
under southwest headquarters
were established. The commander
of the first force is Gen. Wang
Tsang-shu. The commander of
the second is Gen. Tang Shin
tseng.
Setting up of guerrilla forces
virtually is a Nationalist admission
they have lost the China main
land. It does, not, however, mean
they have lost completely the
great war against the Reds which
has been going on since 1927.
The Nationalists evidently hope
they will be able to consolidate
their remaining forces and con
quer the Communists in the same
way as the Reds beat them.
A Taipeh dispatch received in
the San Francisco office of the
Associated Press said Yen had
arrived there from Chengtu.
Only yesterday he stripped
down his government from the,
thousands of officeholders who
were in Nanking, Canton and
Chungking to a bare 107 men.
He said he was making it mobile
to get to another mainland seat
of government from threatened
Chengtu, which now has the rec
ord of being the shortest lived
capital of China in all her his
tory.
Chiang Kai-shek was reported
by Chinese newspapers in British
Hong Kong to be flying to Hai
nan. Gen. Pai Chung-hsi, for
mer Central China commander
and close friend of Acting Presi
dent Li Tsung-jen, is there. Li
is in the United States for his
health.
Delay Urged on Presidency.
A Taipeh dispatch said it had
been learned reliably Chiang was
not going to take over the presi
dency immediately. His advisers
were said to be urging him to
wait and watch the United States’
attitude toward China. They also
suggested that Chiang observe Li’s
three months constitutional right
to be absent froih the country as
head of the state.
Shortly after his arrival in Tai
peh, Yen said his cabinet would
begin functioning today. The
premier said Chiang was concen
trating on military matters now
and was not considering resuming
the presidential post from which
he retired in January just before
the fall of Nanking.
Body Found at Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario, Dec.
8 {IP).—Police said last night they
were investigating the finding of
the torso of a man in the tur
bines of the Ontario Power Co.,
ijelow Niagara Falls.
Late News
Bulletins
9th Alcoa Plant Reopens
PITTSBURGH (IP). — Nine
Aluminum Co. of America
plants, strikebound since Oc
tober 17, reopened today under
a new contract with the CIO
Steelworkers’ Union. Eight
plants resumed this morning
and were followed a few hours
later by the ninth at Alcoa,
Tenn., where differences
caused the added delay.
Chest Drive at 86 Per Cent
Alexandria today topped its
$67,228 Community Chest goal
to become the first area com
munity to achieve 100 per cent
since 1944. New reports of
$91,313 brought the drive for the
entire area to 86 per cent of the
goal of $3,991,719.
(Earlier Story on Face A-23.)
YOU SAY YOU THINK
SOMEBODY IS FOLLOWING
YOU ?.... BROTHER, SOMEBODY
IS FOLLOWING YOU! SO
, CALM DOWM, AND
\ DO SOMETHING!
.
Diagnosis . . . and Prescription
Ousted Czech Official Vanishes
As Reds Press Purge in Top Rank
Deputy Foreign Trade Minister Disappears
With Entire Family; Successor Named
By the Associated Press
PRAGUE, Dec. 8.—Czechoslo
vakia has begun a new purge of
its ranks and official sources said
it has reached the top man in
the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
The purge is being staged to
insure that “no class enemy holds
a membership card,” according to
the party press.
The official source- said Evzen
Loebel, deputy minister of foreign
trade, has been purged from his
job and apparently has vanished
with his family. The official said
Loebel has not been at his office
since November 18, and that noth
ing is known of the whereabouts
of him, his wife or his family.
Mrs. Loebel is an Austrian who
earlier this year was reported to
have been turned back from the
border when she tried to go to
Austria.
The government has refused to
comment on reports of Loebel’s
disappearance. He had been gen
erally regarded as the real boss
of his ministry. A new man. Dr.
|Frantisek Jonas, now is installed
; as his successor.
The party organ Rude Pravo
said the calling in of all member
ship cards for examination and
certification was the first step
toward purifying the party and
creating “iron discipline’’ in its
ranks.
When this task has been com
pleted, by the end of January, new
certificates will be issued to “re
liable members.” To prove re
liability a Communist must show
that he has been attending party
meetings and evening Marx-Len
inist instructions regularly, pay
ing dues and participating in
“shock worker” movements, above
quota production.
The Czech Communist Party
still has about 2,250,000 members,
including some 500,000 “candi
dates" or probationary members.
It now accepts no new full-status
members except factory workers
and farmers and even these have
to undergo lengthy preliminary
instruction and investigation.
Third Sofia Defendant
Admits Espionage and
Treason to Aid Tito
Testifies on Connections
Since '46 With Yugoslav
Commercial Attache
ROSTOV’S REPUDIATION of
Confession First in Red Trial
History. Page A-8.
By the Associated Press
SOFIA, Bulgaria, Dec. 8.—A
third defendant in Bulgaria's
Titoist trial pleaded guilty today
to charges of treason and spying.
Boris Christov joined Nikola
Nachev, former deputy construc
tion minister, and Ivan Stevanov,
former finance minister, in admit
ting he plotted to make Bulgaria
a vassal of neighboring Yugoslavia.
Christov was a former Bulgarian
commercial attache in Moscow.
As a special court resulted its
trial of 11 former government
and business officials, Christov
testified he had connections since
1946 with the Yugoslav commercial
attache in Moscow and, under the
direction of Traicho Rostov, for
mer Communist deputy premier,
gave the Yugoslavs espionage in
formation.
Rostov is the main defendant
in the trial.
As in the Hungarian trial of
(See BULGARIA, Page A-3.)
Coldest Weather of Fall
Hits North Central Area
By th* Associated Press
The coldest weather this fall hit
the North Central part of the
country today. The mercury
dropped to a low of 16 below zero
during the morning hours at
Minot, N. Dak.
The cold Canadian air spread
southward into Oklahoma and
North Texas. Temperatures fell
below zero over most of North
Dakota and Minnesota, Eastern
South Dakota, Northwestern Iowa
and Northwestern Wisconsin. Not
much relief from the cold was
expected until Friday.
The Northeastern section of the
country had some chilly weather,
but no subzero marks were re
ported. Snow flurries fell in
Northern New England and also in
the Great Lakes region.
Temperatures were about nor
mal from the Plains States to the
Pacific Coast and in most of the
Southern States. There was some
rain in Southern and Central
California. i
Government Girl Shift
To Permit Clearing of
Sesqui Site Weighed
175 at Colored Residence
Hall Would Go to Vacant
Arlington Farms Building
The possibility of moving 175
colored Government girls into
Arlington Farms so the Langston
Residence Hall, where they now
live, can be cleared from the Ses
quicentennial fair site is under
consideration, it was learned to
day.
Alabama Hall, which is now va
cant at the Arlington Farms de
velopment for Government girls,
has a total of 610 beds. It was
closed last October 15.
The shift of the colored Gov
ernment girls into Alabama Hall
apparently would help solve the
virtual impasse which has been
reached over the clearing of tem
porary buildings from the Ana
costia park land.
Dwelling Units Occupied.
Officials of the Sesquicenten
nial Commission are striving to
have the land cleared of the Lang
ston Residence Hall, a Census Bu
reau Building and 61 temporary
dwelling units occupied by col
ored families since the area is
(See SESQUI, Page A-3.)
2 Mystery Blazes in Dance Hall
Give County Firemen Busy Night
(Picture on Page A-3.)
The red-hot ghosts of jump
and jive ran amok ip a rambling,
deserted dance hall high on a hill
above Capitol Heights early this
morning and volunteer firemen in
five Prince Georges County com
munities spent a sleepless night.
The eerie business started about
2 a.m., when a Capitol Heights
town officer interrupted a party
on the parking lot of the Club
Hillbilly, 6900 block Central ave
nue, Seat Pleasant, Md., and told
four teen-agers to go home.
The moon was almost full. It
was the kind of night when inter
ference with teen-agers and ghosts
is not to be taken lightly.
Twenty minutes after warning
oft the youngsters, the town officer
returned to the parking lot. He
saw a red glow inside the two
story wooden dance hall and
sounded an alarm.
Firemen from Seat Pleasant,
Court Clears Arlirigton
Of Discrimination in
County High Schools
Carter Case Dismissed;
Judge Rules Negroes
Get Equal Facilities
Arlington County was cleared
today of a charge that its school
authorities discriminate against
Negroes in public education.
Judge Albert V. Bryan entered
an order in the Federal District
Court, Alexandria, dismissing a
complaint brought in the name
of Constance Carter, a colored
high school pupil.
Judge Bryan said the evidence
in a long hearing failed to sup
port the discrimination charge.
The girl, through her mother,
accused the Arlington School
Board and Its officers of giving an
educational advantage to white
students at Washington-Lee High
School over Negro pupils attend
ing the Hoffman-Boston School.
Called Substantially Equal.
The case was important not
only in Arlington but other sec
tions of Virginia. The complaint
was pressed by the National As
sociation for the Advancement of
Colored People, which is attacking
the State practice of separate
schools for the races.
The plaintiffs argued that col
ored children are denied nu
merous courses provided at
Washington-Lee and do not have
facilities equal those at the white
school.
The county contended that,
while courses and facilities are
not identical, they are substan
tially equal. It said white chil
dren enjoy some advantages over
colored pupils, but that the
Negroes also have some advan*
tages over whites.
No Intent to Discriminate.
In dismissing the complaint
Judge Bryan said it is “clear from
the evidence” that there was
neither intent, purpose nor policy
in Arlington to neglect or discrim
inate against Negro pupils.
He said “unchallenged testi
mony” had been presented that
some elementary Negro children
are housed better than white chil
dren of the same class and he de
clared this "reveals an entire ab
sence of intent to discriminate
between races in the schools.”
The opinion said in part:
“The court recognizes that
neither the State constitution’s
mandate of segregation, nor econ
omy to avoid the greater expense
arising from the duplication of
facilities necessary for segregated
education, can excuse discrimina
tion.
“Equality of treatment is un
Ts«Tdiscrimination, A-3).
Capitol Heights, Hillside, Boule
vard Heights and District Heights
fought the blaze for an hour and
a half and then went home.
The volunteers had just snug
gled down in their blankets when
the sirens screamed again. Only
the charred front of the Club
Hillbilly was standing when the
firemen left for home a second
time just before dawn.
Acting Fire Chief Charles L.
Dunnington of Seat Pleasant is
positive the second fire could not
have started from overlooked em
bers of the first. Police said they
are investigating the possibility of
arson.
Operating as the Dixie Tavern,
the dance hall began calling jump
and jive addicts to its dark in
terior in 1939. About two years
ago the Club Hillbilly Corp. took
it over for mountain music, city
style. The club closed about a
year ago.
Police estimated the fire dam
age at $10,000. »
AMA Votes Dues
To Fight Truman
Health Program
Compulsory $25 Fee
Set to Get Funds for
'Education' Drive
By George Beveridge
In an unprecedented action the
American Medical Association to
day set $25-a-year compulsory
dues for membership, with pay
ments to begin next year.
The dues will finance the AMA'i
campaign against “socialized med
icine” and provide financing for
other AMA activities.
About 85 per cent of the AMA’s
142,000 present members will have
to pay the levy, officials estimated,
with the threat of expulsion hang
ing over those who become delin
quent in payment for one year.
The dues were ordered unani
mously today by the AMA's power
ful. house of delegates, whose
members represent doctors in local
medical societies throughout the
country, at the final house session
of a four-day meeting here.
To Accelerate Campaign.
About $2,000,000 next year is
estimated as the amount the new
funds will bring in to aid the
fight on President Truman’s com
pulsory health insurance program.
The dues payments, officials
said, will mean a sharp accelera
tion next year in the AMA’s vast
“educational campaign” against
“socialized medicine.” The all
out drive was started this year by
a “voluntary” $25 assessment on
the Nation’s doctors.
Dr. George F. Lull, AMA general
manager, explained that about 15
per cent of the AMA’s members
are honorary, and do not pay dues
in their local or State medical so
cieties.
The dues, the house decided,
will be collected by the local so
cieties and forwarded to AMA.
To Be Dropped for Non-Payment.
Doctors who subscribed to the
| AMA Journal will continue to pay
$12 a year for the magazine.
Doctors who become delinquent
for one year will be dropped from
AMA membership if they fail to
pay within 30 days after delin
quency notices are mailed. They
can reinstate, however, with pay
ment of the $25.
Doctors also will be dropped If
they move to a new area and
fail within six months to apply
for membership in a new, local
society. Membership in these lo
cal groups is a requisite for AMA
membership.
In another action, the policy
making house registered opposi
tion to bills in Congress which
would provide Federal aid to
medical schools. While the schools
need the money, officials said, the
AMA contends that the bills in
their present form give the Gov
ernment too much control over
operation of the institutions.
Legion Commander Speaks.
In a surprise visit, George
Craig, national commander of the
American Legion, pledged support
of the Legion to the fight against
compulsory health insurance.
In other actions, the House:
1. Voted down a proposal for a
national referendum of doctors on
their feelings about the health in
surance issue.
2. Voted to ask the Defense De
partment for a full report on the
status of civilian defense plans,
especially regarding medical care
provisions.
3. Gave- a unanimous vote of
(See AMA, Page A-2.)
Wreckage of Airliner
Sighted in California
By th« Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 8 —
Wreckage of a missing commer
cial airliner with seven aboard
was sighted today from the air
near Napa, authorities announced.
A Coast Guard pilot reported
he could see no signs of life about
the plane. There was a crew of
three and four passengers on the
California Airlines two-engine
DC-3 plane.
Ground rescue crews were rush
ing to the area.
The plane, from Burbank, dis
appeared yesterday in a heavy
rainstorm shortly after it took off
from Oakland airport for Sacra
mento.
Next Article
By Gen. "Hap" Arnold
On "Why the B-36?"
Tomorrow in The Star Gen.
“Hap” Arnold, war-time com
mander of the U. S. A. A. F„
writes on why the B-36 wac
chosen as
the long
range
bomber for
the Air.
Force.
Gen. Ar
nold speaks
up for the
Air Force in
his current
series of ar
ticles. Don’t
miss them
every Tues
day and Fri
day In The °®n- H- H- **■•'*>
Star—news authority for tha
Nation’s Capital. Phone Ster
ling 5000 for home delivery.
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