Evening star., 1943-11-15
Religious Directors
Serve as Guinea Pigs
In Research Work
Board Reports 1000
Men Have Been Assigned
To Work Comps

Conscientious objectors are acting
as guinea pigs" for medical experi-
ments, landing by parachutes to
fight forest fires, operating an ambu-
lance service in Puerto Rico and
serving in dozens of other capacities
IN work OF national importance,
the National Service Board for Re.
ligious Directors reported today.
Approximately 1000 men, the
board said, have been assigned to
work camps for the duration plus
six months. The board, which passes
on requests for the use of objectors,
turns down those which relate di-
rectly to the war effort.
But the board agreed to let volun.
teers become guinea pigs" for tests
on flyers reactions to extreme high
attitudes.
Reviewed by Board.
Men with religious objections to
fighting also have volunteered to
drink sea water, expose themselves
to intense hot and cold weather,
carry lice and become infected with
influenza, jaundice and pneumonia
for medical research.
After the board approves project,
it still has to be approved by selec-
tive service, which rejects those
which might result in controversy,
such as putting objectors in super
visory positions OF prominent posts.
The board said it also had at
tempted to organize medical and
relief units for foreign service, but
two efforts failed. An ambulance
unit assembled to work along the
Burma road was refused passports
after buying $1,000 worth of equip.
ment, and congressional action re-
suited in the recall from South
Africa of six men en- route to China,
the first detachment Of a 70-man
medical relief unit approved by
President Roosevelt.
Three Service Choices.
OF the men on Civilian Public
Service projects. the board reported,
about 100 have left camps for
prison in protest against church
administration of CONSUMPTION, the
lack of pay, the lack of Significant"
work or the military officers in
charge of the program. Another 419,
the board added, left the work
camps to join the Army, largely as
laos for noncombatant service.
Men with religious objections to
war, the board pointed out, have
three choices - Civilian Public
Service projects, noncombatant serv-
ice in the Army or prison. The
board said that roughly one out Of
every thousand men called for serv-
ice refuses to enter the armed forces.
The actual number of objectors in
the country, however, is not known,
since men in essential work, in the
ministry or physically disqualified
may be conscientious objectors al.
though not classed as such.
approximately 5000 Seventh-Day
Adventists are serving in the Medi-
cal Corps as 1-A-cI. The total
number of laos in the Army,
however, is not known. These men
are treated the same as any other
soldiers, receiving the same paw and
dependency allowances, but they are
not trained to bear arms.
Many Go to Prison.
Men whose sincerity as religious
obJectors Is doubted or who refuse
to go either to work camps or into
the Army for noncombatant duty
are sent to prison. Up to July /,
the board reported, 2.071 men who
claimed to be conscientious objec.
tors had been sent to prison
although some have been paroled to
work projects or to noncombatant
services.
The board gave this breakdown
OF work being performed by men
on Civilian Public Service projects:
Forest service, 1880; soil conserva.
ton, 1898; orderlies and attendants
In mental hospitals, LOTS; miscel-
laneous work, 1,O64; National Park
Service, 535: dairy farm assignments.
462; cottage masters, attendants.
craft teachers in training schools
and reformatcries, 80; farm units,
50; dairy herd testers, 90; orderlies
IN general hospitals, "a; guinea
pigs" in medical research, 70; para
chute fire fighting, "a. and Puerto
Rico hospital unit, 80.
The board commented that treat
ment of objectors in this war was an
improvement over their treatment in
the last war because the basis of
objection to war had been put on
an individual basis of religious train
ing and belief rather than on mem
bershlp in peace church" and
exemption is now provided from
noncombatant as we'll as combatant
service.
oxicub Driver Robbed