Evening star., 1949-08-14
Rulings Due
OnClannSOf
War Victims
Civilians Trapped by
Japs Eligible for
Compensation
By Rowland Evons, Jr.

1t is cndpCer LIlOuSdlluS VI
Americans trapped in the Japa-
nese war web in the Philippines
and other Pacific islands have
been waiting four and half
years to read.
They were trapped because OF
a State Department decision not
to warn them publicly to come
back home before Pearl Harbor,
as other American citizens all
over the world were warned.
The national interest" said
Acting Secretary Joseph E. Grew
in 1945, forbade such warning.
1t was felt it might demoralize
the Filipinos, on whom a large
share of the fighting burden was
expected to fall.
Members of the new commits
sion, subject to Senate confirm
alton, are: David N. Lewis, Mrs.
Georgia L. Lusk and Daniel F.
Cleary. Both men are lawyers
and Air Force veterans. Mrs.
Lusk, a former CongreSSwoman
from New Mexico, lost a son in
the war.
Duties Outlined
The Commissions job Of ad-
ministering the War Claims Act,
passed over a year ago, falls into
two parts:
/. 1t will adjudicate claims OF
three classes of American citizens
and organizations for whom the
act provides direct cash payments.
They are: Cd Civilian internees
caught in the Philippines, Wake,
Guam, Midway. the Aleutians and
Alaska; CD prisoners of war taken
by any United States enemy and
fed improperly during conf1ne-
ment, and 90 religious organi-
cations in the Philippines who
eased the pain of Jap prison and
internment camps by providing
money and supplies to prisoners
of war and internees.
2. 1t will inquire into" many
other types of injury and property
claims, for which compensation
is not allowed under the act. and
make recommendations to the
President.
A fourth class of beneficiary
will receive direct payments under
the act, but these will be made
by the Federal Security Agency.
They are American citizen in
ternees who were employees of the
United States or of contractors
with the United States. They
have already received some COM
pensation for loss of wages under
the older law, but many will re-
ceive more under the War Claims
Act.
Death Limit $500
The FSA will also pay disabl-
ity and death compensation to all
American citizen internees who
require 1t. Maximum payment
for either death or disability is
s1O8.33 a month, with a limit
Of $500 payable in any one case.
In addition to this, internees
who were not employees OF the
United States or of contractors
with the United States will get
$50 month (S25 If under 18 years
old during internmenD for each
month of internment. This is
called a detention benefit" Be-
tween 1000 and 10000 internees
will get 1t. The act also entities
internees to free medical care Tor
the sores of captivity. many OF
which are permanent. Before
passage OF the act only tnternees
who were employees of the United
States or of contractors with the
United States were entitled to
free medical care from the Fed
eral Government.
The act will also reimberse in
ternees for money they paid the
State Department. through the
government of Switzerland, for
medical and food supplies deliv-
cred to internment camps Cor at
least to the Jap guards to sup
plement meager food and medical
rations.
Will Get Cash Back
Finally, all internees who had
to give cash or promissory notes to
the State Department to pay
their passage home will get their
cash or notes back.
Testimony given the House
committee which wrote the act
brought out starkly the horror
OF life under the japanese war
thumb. Just before liberation,
the daily ration contained 600
900 calories. Doctors generally
say more than 1000 are needed
to sustain decent health.
One witness described the con-
dition of baby born seven
months before liberation. 1t
weighed eight pounds at birth,
seven pounds when the Yanks
arrived.
Prisoners Of war also felt the
slow ache Of starvation. The
act provides 81 for each prison
camp day a POW did not receive
food of the standard set up by
the 1929 Geneva Convention.
The Budget Bureau estimates
that all war prisoners of the
Japanese and 80 per cent of
prisoners of other enemy coun-
tries will get 81 for each day in
captivity. About 100000 former
POWs will split $54,o00.000 under
this provision.
The Budget Bureau also esti-
mates that between 81 .000, 900 and
s2,000,000 will be refundable to
religious organizations for the as
sistance they gave internees and
POWs.
Taxpayers will not be dupned
one cent for payments made un-
der the act. ALI money will come
from a special war claims fund,
consisting of liquidated enemy