Evening star., 1951-08-09
Jones Tells Of Askinq
Congressmen 10 Send
Athletes 10 Academy

many senators and House mem
bers to appoint good football play
erS to the Military Academy.
Col. Jones retired as gradual,
manager in early 1948 and re-
turned to his home here. He tolt
a reporter that in the last three
years he had visited members Of
Congress in their offices at the
request of Earl (Red) Blaik, heac
coach at the academy. He added
"All received me very graciously
I met some fine people on these
calls. I was never rebuffed anC
none gave any indication they
resented my visits"
Earlier a number of Senators
said they saw nothing wrong with
the West Point policy of recruit
ing some high school football
players. But other Senators found
fault with it.
Col. Jones, who for several years
was head coach at West Point as
well as at Louisiana State. Okla
homa and Nebraska, said he was
glad to make visits to members of
congress Ito help out Blaik."
Shocked by Cribbing."
He said that many times leeis-
latorS already were considering
the players he called to recon-
mend.
Col. Jones explained there was
absolutely nothing wrong" in his
requests to the Congressman.
He said Congressman had been
asked to appoint good football
players for as far back as he could
remember, including the years he
was at West Point.
The scramble (among colleges)
Tor boys with athletic ability has
gotten more hectic every year"
Col. Jones commented, adding
that West Point had to seek these
players if it intended to stand up
In intercollegiate competition.
He said he was "terrifcallv
shocked at the announcement
that 80 cadets, many of them foot
ball players, had been charged
with cribbing on examinations.
They are faced with dismissal.
Col. Jones said he did not know
how the authorities could have
handled the case other than
through dismisSals. But he added
1T seems to me, though, that this
is the heaviest penalty that has
ever been handed down for some
thing of this kind"
Col. Jones expressed regret that
somehow or other" the dismissed
cadets will finally be identified
publicly.
Hoey Approves Recruiting.
Chairman Hoey of the Senate's
special investigating subcommittee
said he did not see anything
wrong with the academy's policy
OF recruiting high school players.
All OF the colleges" he told a
reporter, TRY to get some of the
cream of high school players each
year"
In another development at the
Capitol, Senator Kilgore, Demo-
crat, of West Virginia described
both West Point and Annapolis
as educationally third rate" and
urged their abolition as under
graduate schools.
Senator Kilgore questioned Mr.
Blalk's explanation of the Mill
tary Academy's recruiting of the
athletes and suggested that all
football and regular undergradu-
ate training be ended there and
at the Naval Academy.
Il have been expecting a blow
up in the academies for several
years" he said. They simply do
not have competent educational
systems. Compared with most
colleges and universities of the
Nation on educational level, they
are third rate schools"
Byrd Opposes Change.
Senator Byrd, Democrat. of Vir-
glnia, said he would oppose any
major change in the academies
training courses and said that he
saw no fault with the athletes
If they pass the same exams as
anybody else"
But Senator Lodge, Republican
OF Massachusetts disagreed and
added that he did not think that
any educational institution should
recruit football players.
Il have the definite impression
that there has been an over
emphasis on football at West
Polnt." said the Senator, who was
an Army officer in the last war
"A star athlete does not neces-
sarlly make good officer any
more than he makes a good
doctor"
Congress may be to blame for
a lot of the current trouble at.
West Point, in the opinion of
Representative Heating, Repub- /
lican, of New York.
Resolution introduced.
Introducing a resolution yester-
day for House Armed Services
Committee study of the advisa-
bility of changing the present
method of appointing youths to
the United States Military and
Naval Academies, Mr.. Keating de-
clared:
THE recent tragic disclosures
(of reported violations of the
honor code concerning examina-
tions) has reinforced my impress
sion that the entire matter of Sc
lection should be thoroughly can
vassed. 1t has long appeared toI
me highly questionable whether!
the candidates for nomination to
West Point and Annapolis should
be named primarily by members
of Congress"
Representative Harrison, Demo-
crat, of Virginia revealed that
Army officials had assured him
none of his appointes to West
Point is involved in the cheating
scandal