Evening star., 1949-09-07
Advocates Sanctuaries Where Leaders
Bearing Heavy Burdens Can Rest

Dick Hoffman in your issue of September
l. proposes psychiatric tests for government
officials before (note the word 'beforeD they
assume positions requiring psychological
balance.
But unfortunately the required certain
minimum amount of specific psychological
balance" which Mr.. Hoffman seeks, does
not depend only upon an individuals "tact,
understanding and ability to bring people
together which he possesses at the moment
when he is elected or appointed to govern
ment position. Certainly Secretary of De-
fense James Forrestal could have passed
such test as your correspondent proposes;
likewise 1t. Gen. Bedell Smith and Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower could have passed
such tests when they were pressed into
winning the cold war after winning the hot
war. But Gen. Smith went from Moscow to
Walter Reed Hospital with painful case of
ulcers and Gen. Eisenhower had to be rushed
South for rest and treatment when he was
serving as temporary chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
very grave aspect Of fitness not covered
by your correspondents suggestion is that
a man may be chosen for new assignment
on the basis of a given fundamental psyche
logical behavior pattern, but after he as
sumes Office may have his whole Specific
psychological balance" thrown completely
out of balance by Illustrations, if he is not
reasonably protected and guided by wise
political and medical advisers.
"As long as can carry on, say many men,
II do not want any one to take over, even
for matter Of days. AS far as vacation
is concerned, to me vacation would be
DEATH Meanwhile from overwork, pres
sures and tensions, anxieties, envies, frustra-
tions and desperate heartbreak may result
tvecN sy,nL To fo{;
gastric ulcers, or even coronary thrombosis
or cerebral hemorrhage.
Horizons" Not to Be Crossed.
There are horizons" beyond which mems
minds and bodies should not be pushed.
As far as the determination Of these horizons
is concerned any combination of psychiatric
examinations of men of the calibre Of Justice
Frank Murphy or Secretary ForreStal at the
time of their appointment, as suggested by
Mr.. Hoffman, would be of little avail; where
as If such men would consent to follow
wise protective medical advice during their
tenures OF Office, the loss of such valued
members of society through death or dis
ability on account of overwork might be
avoided.
The fundamental issue, unfortunately. is
that many such men say perfectly candidly:
Il do not want such protective advice.
will live and die as I please" No man OBJ
sessed with such an attitude can be made to
do what he does not see to be right as
regards his health and wellbeing.
The alternative is to present to the in
telligent individual suggested plan of pro-
lection or planned rest in another light; not
Here is what you are doing. 1t is wrong"
but Here is your physical body in the we'll
being of which you can justly take as much
pride as you do in the maintenance of your
inf al 81
and your position as head of family in the
community in which you reside" =
In connection with a problem on which
the writer is now at work, the question
presents itself as to how men in the prime
OF life who often have very exceptional
achievements to their credit may be brought
to a new point of veiW concerning planned
protection of their physical bodies-the YES
sells in which all of their intellectual and
moral processes are carried on.
To spell out the methods for achieving
proper protection against the grave af1ic-
tions of middle life, say between the ages
of 40 and IS, is not difficult. But these
methods are Intellectual until one can say
to leader occupying a position requiring
what Mr.. Hoffman describes as psyche
logical balance: Look, friend, you are
abusing your body and driving it to point
near to collapse. Do come and rest" {.
and have him respond. Fundamentally:
That's just what I've been waiting for.
Do tell me what I should do and where
and how can rest?"
Physical Checks at Intervals.
First, every individual in such position
should have thorough physical examina-
tion at reasonable intervals to establish that
his dragging physical tiredness, exhaustion
OF mind, inability to concentrate, insomnia
and failure to sleep restfully really result
from psychological unbalance and not from
any organic illness.
Some 80 per cent Of exhaustion is from
high-tension fatigue and not from organic
illness, and often can be relieved by a simple
protective program of planned rest. But
such a program, in answer to the question
Where and how can I rest?", still would
remain Intellectual until one could indicate
to such leader a place where he can rest
Where can he rest? Certainly not in
many a modern home where an obligatory
social function often is the finale to
strenuous day of work! Certainly any
planned protection will remain ineffective
until in the vicinity OF great city such as
Washington there are few places where
such a man could escape for brief periods
and find the requisite systematic association
of isolation, silence, understanding care
and, If need be-, rest in bed and special
regulation of diet. Once separate an in
dividual from the moral and physical sur
roundings which have become part Of his
life, and you will have made change which
IN itself will be beneficial and will aid these
other means of helping the Individual
A few who are long resident in Washing
ton are fortunate in having created for
themselves such places of beauty and peace
in Maryland and Virginia. But with these
executions can any of yolr correspondents
point out spots of beauty and quiet, not
hospitals or sanitariums but places of con-
genial atmosphere, where man in the
midst of an active and vital life but ap-
preaching the horizon" beyond which he
should not push himself, really can rest?
A man in such condition should have the
benefit of protective advice under conditions
totally free from the distractions and re-
sponsibilities of his usual routine, and sur
rounded by an environment conducive to
relaxation of body and rest of mind.