Evening star., 1947-03-10
Army Recalls All Scrip
To Stop Countefeitine.
In France, Germany
s~ths Asseeicied Press

FRANKFURT. Mar. 10. - The
United States Army called in all
outstaning military scrip today IN
sudden move to block large-scale
counterfeiting which has been -four
ishing In France and Germany for
the last few months.
This Is the surest way OF fore
stalling successful counterfeit oper-
ations," said Gen. Joseph T. Mcnar-
ney, whose announcement was seen
a. blow to black marketing as well
o. counterfeiting
The commander warned that
Army authorities will take due no.
tice Of excessive amounts" turned in
by individuals and that investiga-
tion Of their sources Of income will
follow.
Army units throughout American
occupied Germany began collecting
the old currency at am. and all
had to be turned in this afternoon,
I'm Japan all communications 4
with other nations was blacked
out pending release orders by
American occupation forces for
conversion of all military scrip
to newly printed notes in a move
aimed at counterfeitingo
Began to Appear Month Ago.
More than q month ago bogus SIS
and $40 scrip bills began appearing
in France and Germany. Since
then, nine persons, including three
American Army officers, four Amer
lean civilians and two French ci-
villains, have been arrested on
charges of passing counterfeit cur
rency.
The scrip-called military pay
ment certificates"-is the only legal
tender in military installations
throughout the European theater.
1t was issued last September in a
similar surprise action 70 replace
Allied military marks which had
been used since the invasion of Ger
many.
The Army explained that the is
suance of scrip was designed as an
attack on black marketing and an
attempt to protect American tax
payers from having to redeem in
dollars millions Of illegally acquired
marks.
Many Germans Acquired Scrip.
Only persons authorized to buy in
American military installations were
authorized to possess scrip.
However, Gen. McNarney gave Of
ficial recognition to the fact that
many Germans have acquired scrip. |
He cited unsettled world economic |
conditions as the reason many per-
sons not entitled to use scrip are
boarding 1t illegally under the mis-
taken impression" that the United
States would redeem it in dollars.
IF our currency were allowed to
affect the economy of any European
country 1t void be defeating the
ultimate object Of the Americanl
people-that is the establishment of
q stable finance structure through
out each country" Gen. McNarney's
announcement said.
Consistent With Army Plans.
This change in the form Of mill
tary payment certificates" he added,
lis consistent with the plans of the
War Department, which insist on
devising a system Of currency which
can be used by authorized personnel
in Army facilities throughout the
world with q minimum of incon-
venience but which will protect the
American taxpayer and not affect
local economy"
Gen. McNarney limited that sur
prise reconversions might occur at
irregular intervals in the future.
The sudden csll-in of scrip will
undoubtedly trap large amounts of
the tender in the hands of Germans,
displaced persons and others not
authorized to use 1t and likewise
unable to reconvert it to new cur
rency.
Their old scrip-obtained in illegal
transactions-will no longer be of
any value,