Evening star., 1952-01-27
House Unit 10 Hold ]
Final UNIT Hearinqs;
May Vote This Week
By George Beveridqe

n ~
Chairman VinSon said last night
that the House Armed Services
Committee may reach a vote this
week on supplementary legislation
which would clear the way for a
universal military training pro-
gram.
At the same time, the Georgia
Democrat said, last weeks inten-
sive testimony by UNIT opponents
brought out mo new arguments"
against the program. He added:
Il don't suppose that any piece
of legislation ever considered by
the Congress has been exposed to
more deliberate, or perhaps Just
mistaken, misinformation as the
measure now before the commit
tee."
Faces Biggest Hearing.
The committee tomorrow faces
its biggest hearing day of the ses-
sion-and possibly a lengthy night
meeting-as IL groups are sched-
uled to testify. The organizations
listed for testimony. mainly advo-
Gates of UNIT. are:
Post War World Council, Amer
ican Legion, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, Reserve Officers Association,
National Guard Association, Am
vets, American Veterans Commit
tee, Jewish War Veterans, Ameri-
can Dental Association, American
Medical Association, Citizens Com
mittee for Military Training and
Friends Committee on National
Legislation.
Meanwhile, the Senate Armed
Services Committee, officials SAID,
may open its own hearings on
the UNIT legislation late this week.
The date will depend upon pro-
gress made on the House-paSsed
military pay bill, which the SEN
ate committee tackles tomorrow.
Immediate Action.
The House group, Mr.. Vinson
said, will end its public hearings
Tuesday. and begin closed session
consideration of the legislation
Immediately. He said this may
give the committee time to finish
work on the bill this week, al
though it might not be reported
until next week.
Representative Short, of Mis-
souri,, ranking Republican member
on the committee and leading
opponent of UNIT, said speed isl
not necessary. however, since he
would insist that the measure mott
reach the House floor until after
the week of Lincoln Day dinners,
starting February II.
Mr.. Short did predict the COM
mite would report the UNIT legis-
lation, but said there was a good
chance that we will beat it this
time on the floor.
Sees "Single Issue" Fight.
He contended that UNIT was
linked to extension of Selective
Service "in an illicit marriage" last
year, and that nov we will fight
it on a single issue"
Actually, Congress specifically
approved the principle of UNIT
last summer. But the implement
ing legislation now before the
House committee also must be ap-
proved before the program can be
put into effect. The present bill
does not say when UNIT should
start, but deals with legal rights
and obligations of the trainees.
In statement, Mr.. Vinson said
the issue before Congress will be
whether to establish UNIT ma
chinery in order to permit an
eventual reduction in size of the
armed forces or to "place crush
ing burden on the taxpayers" for
"an indefinite time"
Cost Estimated.
The chairman said cost of the
proposed six-month UNIT train
ing in full operation would be
about $2,698 per man, compared
with a yearly cost of $4,000 to
maintain a man in the armed
forces today.
In his charge of 'misinforma-
ton" about UNIT, Mr.. Vinson said
that "all week long I have heard
charges that this program is un-
American, anti-Christian, i'm
moral and would lead us directly
to financial chaos. We have been
told it is militarization and would
lead to the destruction of indi-
vidual freedom. He added:
"All Of these arguments we
have heard before. If it is un-
American and anti-Christian to
defend the greatest Christian ma
ton in the world through fair,
effective and less costly system
Of military training. then I plead
guilty"
To charges that military train
ing destroys morals and individ-
ual freedom, he said millions of
war veterans and their families
constitute the greatest group of
living examples to the contrary
that can possibly imagine"
Volunteer" Program Planned.
Military officials have said that
If Congress clears the way for
UNIT through approval of the
pending bill, they intend to begin
q limited volunteer UNIT" pro-
gram next fall. Under their plan,