Evening star., 1943-05-14
lckes and Roosevelt
Criticized for Stand
In Abe Fortas Case
Harness Soys House
Committee Wants More
Facts on Draft Status

Secretary Ickes and President
Roosevelt were criticized in the
House today by Representative
Harness, Republican, of Indiana
who said they were endeavoring
to circumvent selective service
routine in the case of Abe Fortas,
hitherto little known Undersec-
retary Of the Interior"
Representative Harness said that
this is "the young man who has
recently achieved considera Bile prom
lnence by reason of the strenuous
efforts of his chief, Interior Secre-
tary Ickes and President Roosevelt
to keep him out of military service. -
He said the special subcommittee
OF the House Military Affairs Com
mlttee investigating draft practices
rs rather impatiently awaiting
further developments in this case"
Mr.. Harness. a member of the sub
committee, told his colleagues that
Secretary 1ckes is the Federal official
who arbitrarily told our committee
that he had asked deferment for
too few, rather than too many. of
his employees. and who stated that
he intended hereafter to request
more rather than fewer deferments
in his department"
Thinks He Might Be Spared.
Representative Harness added that
following this stated policy Mr.
1ckes has made quite vigorous
case for his undersecretary.
mot only has his boss gone to
bat for MI Fortas, but the Presi-
dent has gone out of his way to
state his belief that Fortas is of
more value in the war effort as gen.
eral handy man in the Department
OF the Interior than ne could be in
military service. All of this despite
the fact that there is apparently
nothing in Mr.. Fortas' training and
brief administrative experience to
indicate he could fill this job of
questionable Importance any better
if indeed as we'll as hundreds of
more experienced men well over the
age for military service"
Representative Harness said that
he was perfectly willing to accept
at face value the report that Mr.
Fortas is ready, for his own part, to
resign his civilian post and offer
himself for induction. In fact. he
said, he is to be commended for this
attitude and to be consoled for the
official attitude which stands in his
way to embarrass him. The fault
lies. not with Mr.. Fortas or other
young men in Government who may
be caught in this difficult situation
but with the administration policy
IN such cases. Secretary Ickes' po-
sition, while understandable. is
hardly in keeping with the spirit
which we should expect from Gov
ernment, which certainly ought to
set an example for the rest of the
country"
Presidents View Criticized.
Regarding President Roosevelt
intervention on behalf of retaining
Mr.. Fortas, Mr.. Harkness said:
"As regrettable as is the position
taken by Secretary Ickes, the Presi.
dents action is even less excusa BILE
President Roosevelt is the highes,
authority in all draft classification
questions. He literally is the courl
of last appeal, AS such. it is un-
thinkable that he attempts, as he
has in the Fortas case, to circumvent
regular selective service routine and
to prejudice case before it comes
to him in the regular order of ap-
peal Whether he SO intended it OF
not. his statement on this case can
hardly be interpreted as anything
but an attempt to direct the de-
cision of the local draft board which
is supposed to determine Mr.. Fortas
status"