Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-23

&0N0AAA0UAOp 04tA JOO WOU4Q 41Ot
have to sign anything?
Gen. Zwicker: I would not
personally, no; the medical
officer would make such q re-
port.
Mr.. Rainville: But there was
somebody in your outfit who
could say. This man can 60
out or can't go out" and that
was the doctor?
Gen. Zwicker: He could not
keep him in If he were phys
ically qualified for separation.
Mr.. Rainville: But he could
say he could not 60 out, so
that there was discretion with
in that 90-day period.
The chairman: Let me ask
this question: If this man,
after the order came up, after
the order Of the 18th came
up. prior to his getting an
honorable discharge, were
guilty of some crime-let us
say that he held up q bank or
stole an automobile-and you
heard Of that the day before
let us say you heard Of it the
same day that you heard
Of my letter-could you then
have taken steps to prevent
his discharge, or would he have
automatically been discharged?
Gen. Zwicker: I would have
definitely taken steps to pre-
vent discharge.
The chairman: In other
words. If you found that he
was guilty of improper con-
duct. conduct unbecoming an
officer. we will say. then you
would not have allowed the
honorable discharge to 90
through. would you?
Gen. Zwicker: II it were OUT
side the directive Of this order?
The chairman: Well, yes, let
us say it were outside the
directive.
Gen. Zwicker: Then I GER
tainly would never have dis
charged him until that part Of
the case
The chairman: Let us say he
went out and stole $50 the
night before.
Gen. Zwicker: He wouldn't
have been discharged.
The chairman: Do you think
stealing $50 is more serious
than being a traitor to the
country as part of the Com
munist conspiracy?
Gen. Zwicker: That, sir, was
not my decision.
The chairman: You said II
you learned that he stole $50,
you would have prevented his
discharge. You did learn some
thing much more serious than
that. You learned that he had
refused to tell whether he was
Communist. You learned
that the chairman of q Sem
ate committee suggested he
be court-martialed. And you
say If he had stolen $50 he
would not have gotten the
honorable disc barge. But
merely being a part of the
Communist conspiracy, and
the chairman of the commit
tee asking that he be court
martialed. would not give you
grounds for holding up his
discharge. Is that correct?
Gen. Zwicker: Under the
terms Of this letter, that is
correct, Mr.. Chairman.
The chairman: That letter
says nothing about stealing
$50. and it does not say any,
thing about being a Commu-
mist. 1t does not say anything
about his appearance before
our committee. He appeared
before our committee after
that order was made out.
Do you think you sound a
bit ridiculous. General, when.
you say that for $50, you
would prevent his being dis
charged. but for being part of
the conspiracy to destroy this
country you could not prevent
his discharge?
Gen. Zwicker: I did not say
that, sir.
The chairman: Let's 60 over
that. You did say If you found
out he stole $50 the night be-
fore. he would not have gotten
an honorable discharge the
next morning?
Gen. zwicker: That is cor
rect.
The CHI arm a n: You did
learn. did you not. from the
newspaper reports, that this
man was part of the Commu-
mist conspiracy. or at least that
there was strong evidence that
he was. Did you not think that
was more serious than the
theft of $500
Gen. Zwicker: He has never
been tried for that. sir, and
there was evidence, Mr.. Chair
man
The chairman: Don't give
me that double-talk. The $50
case, that he had stolen the
night before. he has not been
tried for that.
Gen. Zwicker: That is cor
rect. He didn't steal 1t yet.
The chairman: Would you
wait until he was tried for
stealing the $50 before you
prevented his honorable dis
charge?
Gen. Zwicker: Either tried
or eXonerated.
The chairman: You would
hold UP the discharge until
he was tried or exonerated?
Gen. Zwicker: For stealing
the $50, yes.
The chairman: But If you
heard that this, man was q
traitor-in other words, in