The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1945-11-08
washington Digest
Veterans
Has Capable [ leader
General Bradley Has Fatherly Interest
in Veterans; Actions Show His Ability
to Administer This Big Job
BY BAUKHAGE
Commentator and News Analyst

IF you don't, I'll attack you on
the floor"
go ahead" said Bradley, family
recalling, l imagine, some of the
attacks in Normandy.
"Ill block your bills" said the
irate Congressman.
That was a horse Of a different
color.
"You will?" said the General.
"All right, and if you do that,
I'll go to the President with my
resignation. He'll get that or find
a means to stop YOU" (Period.)
We all knew about the Cen
erals war record-in Tunisia, on
the Normandy beachhead, among
the hedgerows, where he smashed
a gateway at St. Lo which made
Patton's lightning drive possible.
But we didn't know much about
the man. Most Of us didn't know
he was from Missouri and later
some of US might have suspected
that that was the reason why he
was picked, although the Presi-
dent said it was because he wanted
a World War II soldier to take
are of the wants of World War II
veterans. Now we have some
other reasons for believing that
the choice was predicated on wise
advice and is going to prove itself
a fortunate one.
On the horse-sense side, it is
because Bradley has established a
record as an administrator. He
proved that in the army and had
the acumen to see the chief fault
in the veterans organization and
has set out to remedy it.
On the emotional side-well, Err
ME Pyle was right.
The trouble with the Veterans
Administration was that it grew SO
rapidly that it didn't have time to
delegate authority. And there was
another reason for this. 1t was
built on what seemed a very sound
theory. Let's take its services to
the veteran. For instance, small
hospitals were scattered all owe
the country, many in little commu-
mites where the veteran could get
to them easily. But that didn't
work out. It was hard to get ex-
pert medical men, good service and
the latest equipment in the smaller
communities and because the re-
gional organization was spread so
thin, It vas necessary to have a
strong hand in Washington. The
result was that the grip of that
hand was so tight that the whole
system was cramped.
Bradley put his finger on the
situation with the help of we'll
chosen counsel) and reversed the
former policy. Now it's "bring
the veteran to the hospital" Bring
him by rail or plane in an emer-
gency, but bring him to a we'll
manned, well-equipped center
whose size and Importance will at
tract the best there is in medical
skill, when he needs specialized
care.
Hand in hand with this regional
Capitalization of the medical facili-
ties, the new organization has de-
centralized the authority. As soon
as Bradley looked over the set-up
he said:
This is like having a $50 regi-
ments under one man. In the
army that would be unthinkable.
We'd break it down into corps and
divisions at least"
And so that is what was done.
But first he made a sharp cleav-
age between the medical organiza.
ton and the rest of the activities.
He created a new office, "Acting
Surgeon General of the Veterans
Administration" And he ap-
pointed the best man he knew,
Major General Paul Ramsey Haw-
ley, who had been chief surgeon
for the European theater and did
an outstanding job.
And here | wonder if there
wasn't n Of those important un-
conscious childhood impressions
which helped. Bradley's middle
name, Nelson, is for a well-loved
family physician. And Bradley's
fatherliness is attested to in his
interest in the physical welfare of
his men. Again and again war
correspondents mentioned the fact
that he planned engagements so
that his troops would suffer the
fewest casualties possible. He has