St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-07-12
Dear Joe
By JAMES L. HICKS
HOT POTATO!

The matter Of building jim-cro
hospitals in the south for veterans
has become one of the hottest DO
litical issues in Washington today.
The Veterans Administration
won't even talk about it any more
since one truth-loving public rela-
tons officer let the cat out the
bag and told NNPA that plans for
the jim-cro hospital at MeComb,
Mississippi, were lying on the
Presidents desk waiting to be
signed.
When the story was published
exactly as the public relations man
had given it out, the repercussions
were little short of terrific.
Joe Albright, special adviser
to General Omar N. Bradley, ad-
ministratOr Of veterans affairs,
hit the ceiling. Why hadn't he
been consulted on such an an
nOuncement? Walter White,
NAACP secretary, hit his type
writer keys and sent a telegram
to President Truman urging him
not to approve MeCOmb or any
other site for an all-cOlOred hos
pital. Representative Adam
Powell protested to the Presi-
dent that the hospital should be
located in the all-NegrO town Of
Mound Bayou. Everybody con-
cerned hit something.
1t has not yet been determined
who hit what at the White House,
but it is evident that the VA has
been telling Mississippi Congress-
men that it will build an all-Negro
hospital at McComb despite oppo-
sition of colored people to that To-
cation as well as to segregated
hospital facilities.
General Bradley instructed VA
officials that until further notice
the stock answer to any questions
concerning all-Negro hospitals
would be "The matter is under ad-
visement."
Every man in the VA press sec
ton has been instructed to give
the same answer on jim-cro hospi-
tails, no matter what the question.
Among reporters covering the VA
the whole thing is getting to be a
Joke.
Prediction: No official action will
be taken on an all-Negro hospital
until after the November elections.
II a site is finally selected it will
not be at McComb but at Mound
Bayou.
THE WHIRL
Colonel Eugene Dibble, the head
of the Tuskegee Veterans Hospital,
has resigned. That is good rid
dance, even though he will still be
used as a consultant by the VA.
DR.. John w. Lawlah, dean Of
the Howard Medical School, re-
signed effective June 80, and on
that date he ceased to be a men,
Der Of the Deans Committee for
Mount Alto veterans hospital. As
a member Of the committee, DR..
Lawlah was authorized to name a
Negro doctor as q consultant on
the Mount Alto staff but was not
able to find one who met specifca-
tons. Besides being a specialist
in his field, a consultant at a VA
hospital must be a veteran.
The American Veterans Com
mittee took its first bow to jim-cro
on June &c when the Washington
chapter voted to buy a site for q
cooperative housing project which
is covered by a restrictive covenant
barring colored people from living
there. Controversy over the deal
caused a near split in our favorite
vet group but the liberals finally
took the reins and on July II the
chapter will meet to reconsider its
rash action. One Of the AVC's
national platform planks states
that il will fight restrictive cove
nants wherever they are met.
MAIL CALL
To Lea J. Williams, 1865 Central
Street, San Bernardino, California:
The Civil Service Commission is
working on answers to your timely
questions concerning the San
Bernardino Army Air Field about
receiving retirement pay and a
pension concurrently. To Bert
Alves of the United Negro and
Allied Veterans: What really did
happen at that Chicago Conven-
ton? To all veterans: II you
have a veteran problem which re-
uuires action in Washington in
stead of your local VA office, drop
US a line at the NNPA News Serv-
ice, 2007 Fifteenth street, N. w.
Washington, D. c.. and we will do
what we can for you from this end.