Evening star., 1948-05-17
Rain Disrupts
Rites al District
War Memorial
l00ot Brief Ceremony;
Groy Talks on Veteran
Problems at Dinner

Tributes to the dead Of World
War I and discussion Of the prob
lens growing out Of World War II
marked the 18th annual District
World War Memorial observance
yesterday.
When rain disrupted plans for
the afternoon ceremony, members
of the sponsoring May Day Corpora
ton gathered at a dinner in the
Washington Hotel. at which Vet
erans' Administrator Carl r. Gray.
jr., was one of the principal speak
erS. J.. ..~
The ceremonies which were to
have been held at 4:30 pm. were
Cancelled at 8 pm. by william T.
Slattery, past commander Of the
District department of the Amer
ican Legion, who was in charge. But
without Mr.. Slattery and Mr.. Gray,
brief ceremonies were led by James
C. Clarke, who headed the Legion
National Guard of Honor, for APP
proximately 100 persons who had
assembled.
Wreaths were placed on the
memorial, In West Potomac Park,
by Representatives of the Gold Star
Mothers. World War Mothers, Mill
tary Order of the World War, Grand
Voiture, 40 and s, District Auxiliary,
Jewish War Veterans, the Legion
and its auxiliary. An invocation and
nenediction were pronounced by
Gordon L. Rice, District department.
chaplain of the Legion.
Payments Unidentified.
Mr.. Gray spoke at the dinner Of
his experiences since taking over
administration of the Veterans Ad-
ministration. ~
Appealing to every American
within earshot of a veteran" Mr..
Gray asked that communications
to his agency be properly signed and
marked. Many envelopes, he said,
are sent to his office with CT in
surance payments and nothing to
identify the sender. He described
10 per cent of the letters as "mys-
terry mail" without any signature.
In estimating the enormity of the
task of the VA, Mr.. Gray said his
Office receives 125,000,0 900 pieces OF
mail a year.
He said he will visit every vet
erans' hospital, installation and re-
gional Office in the Nation within
the next eight months.
Paul H. Grif1ith, past national
commander of the Legion, who was
to have been one Of the two prin-
cipal speakers at the afternoon
ceremonies, told the audience that
this Nation must face up to its re-
sponsibilities with respect to Eu-
ropes displaced persons.
Visit to Europe Recalled.
Recalling his visit to Europe last
winter, Mr.. GrifIith noted that only
20 per cent of Europe's DPS are
Jews. He said most Of the western
democracieS were reQuisitioning
specially trained groups from the
DIP camps and he wondered what
would be left by the time the
United States got around to taking
care Of its quota.
young, healthy coal miners have
gone to Belgium" he said, land
thousands Of young Jewish tailors
have gone to the British Empire.
Others have been chosen for their
youth and training to 60 to other
parts of the world. Soon, only the
aged and indig>nt will be left"
These displaced persons, he said,
need the future and the hope that
only the United States can give
them. 1t is high time the people
impressed upon Congress the re-
sponsibility to them which our
world leadership imposes upon U.s."
Tribute Paid to Noyes.
Mrs. Lee w. Hutton, national
president of the American Legion
Auxiliary. thanked the group for its
cooperation in preparing the cere-
monies and expressed the hope that
she would be invited to participate
in another meeting land deliver the
speech" she had prepared for yes
terday's Cancelled ceremonies.
Mr.. Slattery. in closing the meet
ing, paid tribute to Frank B. Noyes,
chairman of the board Of The
Evening Star Newspaper Co., as "the
founder and guiding hand" of the
District World War Memorial and
expressed the hope that, in the near
future, funds could be raised for .
similar memorial to the District
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