Evening star., 1947-06-22
Three SIaies Named
Tor Elections Today
AT ave Convention
By George Beveridee

MILWAUKEE,, June 21-Battle
lines for the controversial leader
ship of the American Veterans
Committee were clearly drawn to-
night as convention delegates nom
mated three states Of candidates Tor
tomorrow's election.
The victors, no matter who they
are, should go long way toward
settling the Communist aff1liation
tag that has plagued the group OF
liberal veterans since they organized
last year.
The cIear-cut issue Of the con-
vention is simply whether AVG di-
rection should be kept entirely out
of the hands Of its extreme left
wing members. About 1900 dele
gates have campaignd and caucused
through four all-day-and might
sessions to come up with the an
swer.
The best organized group, led by
present AVG officers, tonight non1i-
mated Chat Paterson, 27, of Wash
ington, AVG legislative chief, for
the post of national chairman. They
backed Richard Boiling, Americans
for Democratic Action organizers of
Kansas City, Mo, for vice chair
man.
Seeks to Block Extremists.
This group hopes to sweep the
election, also boosting non-left-wing
extremists for membership on the
AVC's ruling body-tIe National
Planning Committee. Tt feels the
, extremists, actual Communists or
not, must be blocked if the organiza-
ton is to attract many more men,
bers and attain any unity in its
LIBERAL policy programs
Candidates on the other side of
the fence include Ken Pettus, of
Chicago, for chairman, and Don
Rothenberg, former leader of the
AVG chapter at George Washington
University, for his running mate.
MIR. PettuS was managing editor of
Stars and Stripes Tokyo edition until
he was transferred on orders of Gen.
Macarthur.
Standing between the two is slate
including George Eby, professor at
Chico State College, California, and
Franklin Williams, colored, chair
man of the AVG New York Council
and assistant counsel for the Ma
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People. Backers
of these candidates, headed by
Michael Straight, publisher of the
New Republic magazine, claim they
do not stand with the left-wingers
but that they oppose domination by
the Paterson Boiling group.
Roosevelt Not on List.
Missing from the list of candidates
was Elliott Roosevelt, whose name
as a possible candidate threw the
convention into an uproar Friday
night. Mr.. Straight at that time
said Mr.. Roosevelt stated he would
be interested in the nomination if
there was enough support. Long
distance phone lines buzzed between
this convention headquarters and
Hyde Park.
Mr.. Roosevelt, a principal cam
paigner for Mr.. Paterson, heatedly
promised delegates his older broth
er would not run. Elliotts support /
ers received word today that he
wouldn't. Numerous nominees for
the National Planning Committee
include two Washington delegates, |
Bob Nathan and Maj. Ulysses Lee,
an early District AVG member sta
toned in the Office of the Secre-
tary of War.
Meanwhile, delegates tonight pre-
pared to vote on controversial policy
Issues at session that promises to
run into the small hours Of the
morning.
The convention is certain to take
strong stands in favor of labor and
legislation for social reforms, and
almost as certain to oppose uni
versal military training without
much of a fight.
Considerable more heated will be
the sessions on veterans and inter-
national affairs.
Bonus Is Issue.
Biggest fight will come on the
question of Federal bonus, and
resolution has been introduced to
oppose some job preference rights
now held by veterans. The move
would force veterans to pass Civil
Service exams before becoming ell
gible for free points and take away
any preference other than the points
for the Federal jobs over non-Vet-
erans.
Most important discussion on the
international platform will reyolve
around the Truman Doctrine.
Delegates will face a majority
committee resolution favoring relief
and reconstruction aid to foreign
nations but opposing grants OF
money or military personnel to Dol
ster reactionary regimes or factions
merely because they are anti
Soviet" Left -wingers, however, will
urge that all stock piles of atomic
bombs be destroyed and that manu-
facture of any more of the weapons
stops.
WOlcott Assailed.
Earlier today, Mr.. Roosevelt, Ma
tional Housing chairman for AVG.
declared that Chairman Wolcott Of
the House Banking and Currency
Committee has sold out to the real
estate lobby" in stopping housing
legislation. He urged immediate
passage of the t-Ellender-W Wag-
ner housing program and asked
delegates to support rent control for
at least another year.
The delegates voted to wire
President Truman, deploring the
lack of housing legislation and ask
ing him to recommend passage of |
the Ellender- Wagner bill at
a special joint session of Congress. /