Evening star., 1941-07-23

selecteeS, ReSeruiSts and National
GudrdSnten retained in Army be-
yond single year requires amend
ment OF Selectiue Service Act or
congressional declaration OF ma
tiondl emergency. Gen. George
C. Marshall, Army chief OF staff,
told Congress there is urgent
necessity" for remoual Of oneyear
limitation, and President RooSe-
uelt said such action Uas needed
to prevent "diSintegratton" OF
Army.
BY the Associated Press.
Gen. George C. Marshall de.
nounced today as sabotage of
dangerous character what ht
said were organized efforts tt
have drafted men petition Con-
gress against extending the serv,
ice of selecteeS and Nationa
Guardsmen.
The Chief of Staff. testifying be-
fore the House Military Affairs
Committee in behalf of an exten-
sion. asserted there had been an or
ganized effort by countless outside
forces" to have members Of the
1st Army sign petitions against tht
proposal
Word of the activity, Gen. Mar
shall said, came from 1t Gen. Hugh
Drum, commander of the 1st Army
I'VE cannot have a political club
and call it an army" Gen. Marshall
said forcefully. adding that the sit
uation could'not be ignored and that
the men involved would have to be
treated 'as soldiers"
He did not amplify the statement
Telegram Read to Soldiers.
CAT IndiantoWn Gap, Pa,
telegram from the War Depart
ment was brought to the atten-
ton of soldiers training there
1t read:
C'There appears to be an or
ganized effort from some source
outside the Army TO have petit
tions signed by members of the
military forces and sent to Con-
gress in an effort to oppose leg
islation proposed by the War De-
partment to continue selectees
and National Guard and Reserve
officers in the service.
c'Any such action by those in
the military service violates the
provisions of paragraph 4, Army
regulations. This will be brought
to the attention of your COM
mand without delay and instruc-
tions issued that all such efforts
by military personnel will be
stopped Immediately, and that
provisions of Army regulations
on this subject will be rigidly
enforced"
Paragraph 4 reads in part:
Except as authorized by the
War Department, efforts to pro-
cure or influence legislation af-
fectlng the Army or to procure
personal favor through legisla-
ton are forbidden
"Stymied" on Trinidad.
At the outset of his remarks Gen
Marshall told the committee he wa!
now "stymied" on the question O
reinforcing the Army's small gar.
rison at Trinidad by the one-yea,
limitation on the service of selec
tees and Guardsmen. Although h,
said he had been pressed for ap
proval of plans to send additiona
troops to Trinidad, one of the south
ernmost of the new bases obtained
from Britain, he had refused be
cause of the legislative restriction
on the service of selectees anc
Guardsmen.
Two kilograms date lined Fort Dix
N. j., protesting against service ex
tension have been released by Sena
tor Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana
What action Gen. Marshall Nigh
be considering was not disclosed
AS for Trinidad. the general dis
closed that the Army had only 1,2O,
men there now, including some Ma
tional Guard units, and asserted
that the force ought to be built u,
TO a working basis"
Apart from other considerations
Gen. Marshall said the Army now
had shelter available for additiona
troops at Trinidad and also tn,
necessary tonnage of shipping re.
quired to transport the men wa.
now available. There was no Ger.
tainty, he added, as to how Ion,
the ships would remain available.
Libby Opposes Emergency Action.
Meanwhile, Frederick J. Libby
executive secretary of the Nationa
Council for Prevention of War, tolc
the Senate Military Committee that
II Congress declared a national emer
gency in order to keep selectees il
uniform you will have thereby re.
moved almost the last barrier that
separates us from full participation
(see DRAFT, Page A-4D