 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Lawn Jean Wettner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wettner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? From the CBS television news staff, Larry Lesser and George Herman. Our distinguished guest for this evening is Harvey V. Higley, administrator of Veterans Affairs. Now, even in these days when wars and the threats of wars jump at us from every headline, an unfortunate irony holds true. It's a fact that when a man returns from war, he's a conquering hero. And it's also a fact that after he's been back for a few years, his former hero worshipers, many of them regard him as just another tax burden. Now, the Veterans Administrator not only has a vast administrative problem, but he also has to do a public relations job between Congress and the Veteran. Now, Mr. Higley, when you took over your job, you were given four billion dollars by Congress to do it. Now, has that been enough money? Yes. Mr. Lesser, if you take into consideration that we were given 200 millions as a supplemental contribution in this last session of Congress. You mean to pay the bills that you couldn't pay the previous year? Those are the contractual obligations to those men who have pensions or compensation coming. It's the contract between the government and those men, and of course, it has to be paid. Well, Mr. Higley, you entered the Veterans Post during a period when Congress was very economy-minded. Have you been able to save money or have they been just as generous with you as they were with the previous Veterans Administrator? I can't answer about the previous Administrators. They have been very fair with us. At the present time, we could use some more money. It's true. But I do think they try to give us the money that we need to do our job. Well, that brings up another question talking about your job. If you have the money and you're doing it, how about the veterans? How do they feel now? For instance, in Korea, I noticed that a great many of the GIs, they were very bitter. They felt that they were forgotten men. Now, has your organization been able to make them feel that they're not forgotten, that they're remembered by a grateful country? Well, Mr. Herman, I'm frank to say that I haven't seen any evidences of that bitterness since they came back. Now, I would venture to guess, however, that when they do come home and are out of service, and they're given these opportunities in education, own a home, and the other benefits that may be involved, particularly if they are disabled or in trouble in some respect to physical trouble, that would certainly make them feel much more kindly if they did in the past have a feeling that they were forgotten men over in Korea. Mr. Higley, tomorrow I think is going to be the 10th anniversary of the GI Bill of Rights. Now, do you think that bill has been a success or has a lot of money been wasted? I think it has been a great success. I rather glad you asked that question. I'd like to answer it in this way. Any law that's put on the books is written to take care of the greatest number of men, in this case, veterans. And as far as words go, they do the best job they can to make it fit. However, I don't believe there's a law on the books today that doesn't have at its two extremes either those that do not seem to benefit properly or at the other end perhaps those who seem to get a benefit to which they're not entitled. So on the local level, whether it's a matter of education or benefits, pensions, compensation, whatever it may be, hospitalization, we do have the feeling on the part of some people that perhaps veterans are getting a free ride. Because they know somebody down the street or somebody they're acquainted with who is apparently not entitled as far as they know to what he's getting. I think everyone should realize that laws play the average. I will say that for the average, the GI Bill of Rights has been of inestimable value to a very large number of veterans and that this country has gained materially because they had a GI Bill of Rights. Well, now you have a new law which is a sort of an offspring of the Bill of Rights. That is the law dealing with it's a sort of Bill of Rights for Korean veterans. Is that a same law or is that a new improved law which states in the account? That is virtually the same law except that in some instances it works out a little differently. The way it operates is a little bit different but the men substantially get all of the same benefits. Is it more efficient, more streamlined? Better from an administrative standpoint. Particularly of course under selective service now about a half a million men are entering the army every year or entering the armed forces. Now this means that as far as we can foresee into the future under the present international situation we're going to have a nation of an increasing number of veterans. Moreover they are now thinking about a universal military training law which would take every boy in after the age of 18 for a long period of service. Can we actually afford to go on with the benefits that we are giving our veterans? If the number of veterans increase it's going to cost more money to take care of them. Of course you'll understand that as far as the veterans administration is concerned we're only interested in veterans and only war time veterans. Peace time veterans. If for instance the Korea War or whatever it is... The Korean War is a war isn't it? There's still no peace in Korea so everyone who is inducted now becomes a war veteran. He is a Korean veteran. As far as we're concerned the Korean War is going on and as long as that's true all of the men who are now serving will be entitled these benefits. If the Korean War is over tomorrow or someday the President I presume would decree or Congress that the war shall be considered at an end then from anybody who went into the service beyond that date would be a peace time veteran. You think that the communists are trying to break this country by refusing to sign a peace treaty in Korea so everyone is a war veteran? Well I think they have a lot of ways of trying to break this. That may be one of them. Well how does the war of the war period? Is there a cut off or does the war period run indefinitely and if there should be an armistice certified so that we would declare that the war in Korea or whatever you want to call it is over? Does that mean that after a certain length of time all benefits will cease? Not all benefits but benefits like your education and training and your loan guarantee and that type. But of course the matter of pensions and compensation and hospitalization have to do with the man or woman that person's situation at any given time and he does not lose any of his rights if it's something that develops in later years he's still a veteran he's still entitled to consideration. Mr. Higley, we've heard it said that there are a lot of veterans hospitals being built since the end of the last war and everyone knows that at the conclusion of a war politicians do go in and ask for hospitals to be built among their constituents. Now I understand a lot of hospitals are built but you haven't got the money or the personnel to man them. Is this actually the case? No, that isn't quite right Mr. Lassour. The hospitals which we are now activating were started as a program immediately after World War II and in fact we're practically at the end of that program and we'll end up with 174 hospitals. I won't say anything about politicians. I might venture to say however that unfortunately hospitals were put in poor locations by some hooker crook and we're finding it extremely difficult to staff them at those hospitals. And in fact they are also located where you do not have the veterans, where the veteran load does not exist. Why are you having this difficulty in staffing these hospitals because you don't pay the medical officers whom you would like to get enough to go into a veterans hospital? Well there are two reasons where we are short of certain types of medical assistance as for instance psychiatrists. There just are not enough psychiatrists in the country and it doesn't matter much how much you pay. You can't hire them, you can't find them. Now the doctors are paid somewhat on a scale like your civil service. It is not the same scale but it works in the public law of 293 set up how they are to pay also nurses. And of course that's all we can pay. And that's all right. That's all right because we've got to take potluck along with everybody else. You know we cannot be in a position where we can take more than our just share. There's got to be competition in it. So all needs for hospital care. Speaking of mental cases Mr. Higley, are there more mental cases among veterans than there are among the rest of the population? No I'm told by those who really should know that within the same age group the number of mental cases among non-veterans is just as great as veterans. I'd like to ask you another question about those of veterans who served in the, or were actually exposed to communist brainwashing in the prisoner of war camps in North Korea and communist China. Now are you doing anything specially for those chaps? That is under discussion. I don't believe that those men are veterans at the present time. Now they may be but until the army or navy or marines or air force discharge them they are not veterans so that we would have nothing to do with them. There is a considerable discussion among those who might enter that picture to be sure that the job is very well done and we have frankly made the suggestion that we be permitted to take that on as our job so that because we probably will have more contact with them than many others. I just have a few seconds to ask you a question. Has modern war like the Korean war in which my colleague George Herman was active so long, has modern war resulted in more people becoming completely disabled so that they are forced to be supported by the government? I would say yes for the reason that as Mr. Herman pointed out when we were talking before we came in here about his service over there, so many of these men were saved by helicopter service, getting them back from the front lines and all that. They were saved but unfortunately they will not be able to take their rightful place in society or work and so they may be those that we will have to take care of for a long time. Well that's sad news but thank you very much for coming here and telling us Mr. Higley. The opinions expressed on the Launcine Chronoscope were those of the speakers. The editorial board for this edition of the Launcine Chronoscope was Larry Lesser and George Herman. Our distinguished guest was Harvey V. Higley, administrator of Veterans Affairs. A Launcine watch makes the most distinguished gift. For a Launcine watch is not alone. One of the very finest watches made anywhere in all the world but equally important it's the watch of highest prestige. Now consider these beautiful Launcine watches for ladies. Here are superb examples of the jewelers exquisite art. Diamonds where used are of the finest quality. Meticulous hand finishing gives that final touch of perfection. For men Launcine has created a watch for every need and purpose. Waterproof shock resistant automatic watches for rugged service. Handsome dress watches for business and former wear. 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