The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-08-12
Racketeers Exploit Armed
Forces For Rich Profits

NEW YORK-lNS-- Conscience
less racketeers are netting millions
OF dollars a year by exploiting the
national human instinct Of all good
Americans TO do anything, give any
thing that will make the lot OF our
men and women In uniform easier
This Is the declaration of Pa
tricia Lochridge, Washington cor
respondent for the Woman's Home
Companion. She writes on the
matter in the current issue.
A good example OF how loving
families are being mulcted is the
Bible racket. Trading on the
anxiety and confidence OF the
families and friends OF men in
service, she explained, several
American companies have sold
thousands of Bibles, Testaments,
prayer books and other religious
books with light steel covers. They
misrepresent them as physical
protection" for the heart. Such
books are being sold at prices
ranging from $1.95 10 $685. III
though they are actually worth
about 81 cents, she asserted.
Far from saving a soldiers life,
said Miss Lochridge, such a book
in his breast pocket may actually
cause a much more serious wound
IL a bullet strikes. According 10
the Federal Trade Commission the
ordinary rifle bullet becomes a vir.
tual dumdum bullet upon striking
an armored book. Bayonet wounds
are also made worse" The end Of
this particular racket may be IN
sight, since the Federal Trade Com
mission has issued complaints 10
prevent the sale as a "mercenary
perversion Of the natural human
reaction to the possibility OF death
and injury
Another heartless racket exposed
by the article involves families
wanting word of American boys
who are prisoners of war. She
wrote: "Racketeers listen in TO
enemy shortwave broadcasts and
take down the names OF American
prisoners that are read over the
Berlin and Tokyo radios. They
then make calls to relatives OF the
boys and offer TO repeat the mes.
sage for fees or contributions to
meet expenses ranging from 50 10
800. Such amateur listeners are
not giving relatives any informl.
ton. which they would not receive
free OF charge and more accurately
from the Foreign Broadcast Intelli
gence Service of the FEC"
Another racket preys on slain
soldiers neXt-of-kin. Letters are
sent to the families OF men whose
names have appeared in published
casualty lists. The writer asks for
the return OF money he claims %
have lent the soldier. To allay
suspicion, the sum asked for is
usually small The wife OF one
merchant seaman received letter
postmarked the day after her hus-
bands name appeared in the news
papers In which she was asked for
so. She was to send II 10 the
writer care OF general delivery.
Instead she wisely went 10 the
F.BL The writer was caught"
Within increasing numbers OF
casualties returning, rackets In
volying the wounded and veterans
are also flourishing. The article
describes one New York.New Jer-
sey organization which particularly
aroused the anger OF the Surgeon
General by soliciting funds for So
called Army ambulances. In its
pamphlet the organization used this
story: THE government does not
provide ambulance equipment for
its soldiers, as il does guns and
ammunition. Instead. the govern.
ment policy is to let the Army de-
pend upon the civilian population
for ambulances. as the Army is not
permitted 10 solicit such gifts"
or course. points out the writer,