Evening star., 1946-12-04
Truman Urges
Greater Local
Aid 10 Veterans
Cites Need in Plea
To Conference Here
On Rehabilitation

President Truman today urged
Stronger recognition by local COM
munities of their responsibility" to
aid World War II veterans with re-
habilitation problems.
In message to a two-day confer
ence on veterans affairs sponsored
by the National Social Welfare AS
sembly, Mr.. Truman praised the con-
ferences goal of preparing ''bin Of
particulars" for community action
as ''laudable and desirable aim" ..
Responsibility of hometown cit
tzens to their ex-servicemen will be
the keynote of the conference, which
- opened today at the Hotel Statler.
The 200 delegates will hear addresses
and discussions on employment,
housing, education and rehabilita-
ton of disabled veterans in an at
tempt to map plan for community
action by the agencies Of the as
sembly.
Many Veterans Unsettled.
more than year after the fight
ing war, it is important that you
are calling to the attention of the
Nation the fact that there still re-
mains great obligation of gratitude,
duty and self-intereSt in seeing that
the veterans are properly rein
tegrated into civilian life" the Presi-
dents message said.
While millions of veterans are
employed, in school or in training,
the President said, there are still a
great number who need homes, who
want employment, who wish to enter
school or training, but are unable to
do 50. Among these are the disabled
veterans, who deserve our every
consideration"
In this mornings main address
Mai. Gen. G. B. Erskine, retraining
and unemployment administrator
of the Veterans Administration,
also urged all community organiza-
tions ito stop their local feuding
and get down to serious work"
Warns of Bitterness.
"This is no time," he added. ''to
nurse ones vanity or pique at the
veteran's expense Any organized
group-Government agency, veter-l
ans organization, social or welfare
agency or civic group-should be
more interested in doing good job
than in receiving credit for it."
Gen. Erskine warned that unless
opportunities are provided by home
towns, veterans may become dis
gruntled and embittered.
1.-THE veteran will face danger of
being exploited by unscrupulous
men; he will be easy pickings for
Communists and other subversive
clements" he said.
In other talks, Frank L.. Well of
the Assembly, explained purposes
of the conference, and Sam Stavisky,
veterans reporter for the Washing
ton Post, presented a veterans view
OF the problem. i
Gen. Bradley Sends Message.
Mr.. Stavisky charged that "too
many communities have turned
their backs on their own veterans"
and called "the local housing in
dustry the worst offender" in failing
veterans.
Unable to attend, Gen. Bradley, !
veterans administrator, sent mes
sage assuring the group that ''it is
at the community level that real
adjustment takes place"
Speeches at later sessions will be
made by Representative Edith
Nourse Rogers, Republican, of Mas
sachusetts; Perry Faulkner, chief
of the Department of Labor's Vet
erans' Employment Service, and DR..
William H. Stead, vice president of
the Federal Reserve Bank of st.
Louis.
Rehabilitation of disabled men
will be the topic of an o'clock
session tonight, in the Interior De-
partment Auditorium.