Evening star., 1944-02-28
Medical Board
Opposes Lower
Draft Standard
President Gives Out
Findings Against
Calling More 4-Fs
By MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

JAIL ACPOAu OPPOoAAl6 0AlC lOWCI~
ing of physical standards to
make more 4-Fs available for
service and thus forcing the
draft boards to turn to their two
other large pools of men-the
fathers still remaining in ga
and the 100000 men now hold
ing occupational deferments.
The report gave additional en-
phasis to the review of all occupa-
tional deferments ordered by the
President Saturday. Mr.. Roosevelt
laid particular stress on deferred
in the younger age
groups. The House Military Affairs
investigating draft
deferments reported 100000 nom
fathers between the ages of 18 and
Is have been given occupational de-
ferments.
Commission Suggested by Congress.
The Medical Commission was Gre
ated at the suggestion of Congress
at the height of the father-draft de-
bate to see if relaxation Of physical
standards and induction of more
limited service men would be pos
sible in an effort to delay drafting
fathers.
Although selective service pre-
dicted last Friday that only 10 per
cent of the 2,500,0O0 fathers remain
ing in 3-A will be drafted-with
the rest rejected for physical rea-
sons or given occupational defer
ments-the commission reported
that healthy fathers and "all other
available sources must be tapped
to provide fighting men for the
armed forces.
The President is expected to send
the report and message concern
ing it to Congress tomorrow.
Although some new physical
standards for admission to the
armed forces were recommended by
the five-man commission, Selective
Service Director Lewis B. Hershey
was quoted in the report as de-
scribing the changes in the stand
ards as minor" and predicting they
would not result in the induction Of
significant number of men from
the 4-F group. Details of the new
standards were not revealed.
Commissions Conclusions.
The commission told the President
1T had reached these conclusions:
/. The physical requirements for
admission to the armed forces cam
not be reduced below the new stand
ards recommended by the commits
sion without impairing the eff
cheney" of the services.
2. The services have reached sat
uration" for newly inducted men for
limited service, since the need for
limited servicemen will be fully met
by men already in the armed forces
who are no longer fit for general
service.
3. The urgent and increasing
need of the services today" is for
men for general service and that
need will progressively increase until
the war is won.
4. 1t is apparent these needs can
not be met by lowering physical
requirements for admission to the
armed forces or by increasing the
induction of men for limited service.
S. Since the needs of the forces for
general servicemen cannot be fully
met from the pool of men now in
class la plus those coming of mill
tary age, 'it is apparent that the
manpower required for the prosecu-
ton of the war cannot be obtained
except by induction of men living
with their families and recourse to
all other available sources"
McIntire Heads Group.
The commission, appointed by the
President December 80, includes Vice
Admiral Ross T. McIntire, surgeon
general of the Navy and commits
sion chairman; Maj. Gen. Norman
T. Kirk, surgeon general of the
Army; DR.. Alan c. Woods, opthal-
mologist in chief, Johns Hopkins
Hospital; DR.. Frank H. Lahey, sur
geon in chief, Lahey Clinic, Boston,
and DR.. Edward A. Strecker, psychi-
airy professor at the University Of
Pennsylvania.
Gen. Hershey, commenting on the
recommended physical standards,
said some of the changes lower and
others raise the present standards.
He added that the changes were
minor in character and do not per
init an exact estimate of the number
of men who will be affected by
these changes" =
"The most favorable estimate" he
was quoted in the report as saying,
would be that the result in addi-
tional numbers indicted would not
be significant. Hence, the maximum
to be hoped for under these changes
would be improvement of selection
qualitatively, with little result guam
ltitatively."
Few 4-Fs Available. -
The commission estimated thu;
only between 6 and 8 per cent
all registrants now in 4-F would be
found qualified for general service
If the whole 4-F group was reviewed.
A review program has been planned.
the commission said, but was held
up pending the commissions report.
This review, according to the COM
missions description, would not
mean that all AIS would have to
be rV-examined. The medical re-
port bn each man would be studied
by his local board and an examining
physician with the medical advisory
boards called in on doubtful cases.
Only those who seemed likely to be
accepted would be sent to the in
duction stations.
In its report the commission said
lit had explored the possibility Of
taking more imited-service men,
more illiterates and more men with
lcorrectible physical defects. In
each type it gave reasons why large
scale induction would be imprac-
tical.
Reporting that under the present
standards for general service "the
quality of the men is lower than is
dAsiroh h1a - the commission soid fhA