Evening star., 1947-02-10
Fay Backs Laws
Plea for Records
OF Veterans
Will Cooperate
If Dotu Con Be
Obtuined From VA

United States Attorney George
Morris Fay today expressed will
tngness to make accused veter-
ans war records available to the
court, but he added that details
of the new procedure would have
to be worked out on a higher
level.
Mr.. Fay's statement came after
Chief Justice Bolitha j. Laws of
District Court proposed that the
United States Attorney should be
made responsible for getting the
war record of every veteran facing
trial and having the accused vet
eran examined by psychiatrist
If there is any chance the crime
could be traced to a veterans war
experiences.
Assuming we can get records
from the Veterans Administration, =
Mr.. Fay said, 'I shall be delighted
to see any plan worked out by
which medical records of an ac-
cused veteran could be made avail
able to the court and the defense
counsel. I shall cooperate to the
fullest in accomplishing that re-
suit"
He said, however, that any new
procedure to get the records and
have veterans examined by Veter-
ans Administration psychiatrists-
as Justice Laws propoSed-would
have to be worked out jointly by the
courts, Justice Department, Veter-
ans Administration and the Army
and Navy.
Mr.. Fay said it had been the prac-
tice of his staff that if any infor-.
nation comes to the, attention of the
prosecutor indicating lack of re-
sponsibility on the part of the ac-
cused, whether he is a veteran or
nonveteran, the prosecutor has con-
sidered it his duty to make such in
formation available to the court and
the defendants attorney"
The United States attorney admit
ted, however, that this has not
meant a screening OF all veterans.
The hit-or-miss effect of this pro-
cedure was one of the reasons JUS
tice Laws gave for his belief that
every veterans case should be sin
gled out for special attention.
Justice Laws proposed that the
Veterans Administration supply the
psychiatrists because the Gallinger
Hospital staff is already overworked
and also because he believed the
courts should have more specific in
formation on the veterans mental
condition than the broad statement
that a veteran is legally sane or in
sane.
Mr.. Fay said he will try to get
help from the Veterans Administra-
ton on veterans case now pend
ing. He said he had never before
asked the Veterans Administration
for either records or psychiatric
help.
The case he cited is another one
of those which was singled out al
most by accident.
A veteran who recently had been
discharged from the Army came to
Washington. He started drinking
early in the evening and, according
to police, had no recollection of
anything he did after 3 am.
Slashing Recalled.
Mr.. Fay said he was informed that
about 6 am. he went into tavern
and started wrestling with an at
tendant. In the course of the fight,
according to police, he grabbed a
knife lying nearby and stabbed at
the attendant, nearly severing his
victims arm.
"A few minutes later the police
caught him in another place, where
he had an employe backed into a
corner and was standing over him
with knife. The first victim, Mr..
Fay said, identified him as the same
man who had slashed his arm.
The case would have been ham
died routinely except that the vet
eran's mother called Mr.. Fay and
said her son had been subject to
epileptic fits.
Mr.. Fay said he called Army au-
thorities to find out If they would
give the man disqualification. When
he was told that the Army no longer
had jurisdiction over the man, he
recommended his. commitment to
Gallinger for 80 days mental OBJ
servation.
The man is still there, but Mr.
Fay said that as a result Of Justice
Laws suggestion he will now get
in touch with the Veterans Admin
istration.
The United States Attorney said
as far as he knew there was no
legal obstacle to getting psychiatric
advice from VA, but any procedure
to do so would have to be ordered
nationally.
Bethesda HOSPITAL Drive