spent billions in studying the atomic bomb. The human mind is far more complicated than the mechanism of the atomic bomb, and it will save untold misery. If and when we have another war we would not commit the same mistakes we have done previously. There will be some 13,000,000 veterans discharged from the services. and their families constitute 20 or 30 million of the population which will be vitally interested in this subiect. Not that all of them are. psychotic or neuropsychotic, but many have relatives who are. You have heard the testimony of the different armed forces and their experts as to what occurred in service, and you only have to look at the records of the Veterans' Administration for the last 25 years to see what has occurred subsequently, and what will occur in the next 25 years, and it is believed that a bureau of this type, centrally located, would be of very great benefit, not only to the veterans, but to the medical profession at large. That is all I have to say, sir. Mr. PRIEST. Doctor, we certainly thank you. Are there any questions? Thank you very much; we appreciate your appearance here and your interest in the subject. STATEMENT OF MRS. HARVEY W. WILEY, CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF LEGISLATION, GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS Mrs. WILEY. Mr. Chairman, I am Mrs. Harvey W. Wiley; I am chairman of legislation of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, and I was for 5 years secretary of the Washington Institute of Mental Hygiene, from 1930 to 1935. Of course, we are not experts in any sense of the word, but we are a large group of women and we can help form public opinion. Mr. Chairman, the General Federation of Women's Clubs representing two and a half million women, at its last board of directors meeting on October 16, 1944, passed the attached resolution, which I will read: Whereas 30 percent of all civilians rejected for military duty were found unfit because of neuropsychiatric disabilities; and Whereas on the basis of conservative statistics from Army, Navy, and induction stations, neuropsychiatric disabilities contribute approximately 50 percent of all discharges for disability; and Whereas neuropsychiatric service is a phase of medical practice which has yet not been developed sufficiently to meet the needs of the people of this country: Therefore be it Resolved by the board of directors of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, in meeting assembled, October 16, 1944— 1. That as a part of the educational program now being planned for the demobilized veterans, there should be included a program of intensive training of psychiatric personnel in such number as the United States Office of Education and the United States Public Health Service shall deem essential for proper coverage of the needs of the Nation. 2. That fellowships providing psychiatric training should be available as soon as the cessation of active hostilities in any theater of war releases medical and other personnel to participate in such a program. 3. That trainees should be chosen from such studies on the basis of their expressed preference, previous training and experience, and personal aptitude. 4. That in order to maintain such training on the highest level it should be integrated into the program of the leading centers of medical education and research. This resolution presented by the resolutions committee, was inspired and drawn up by its chairman, Mrs. Horace Ritchie, of Athens, Ga., who is the mother of a physician. Mrs. Ritchie was well acquainted with the fact that there are widespread neuropsychiatric disorders in our country today, which have been increased by the damaging effects of the war. These facts are well set forth in the informative sections of the resolution which I just read. Representative Priest's bill, H. R. 2550, was, of course, introduced 6 months after the passage of our resolution. But it is very evident that the intent of our resolution to supplement the number of psychiatrists in this country by emphasizing the training of eligible demobilized veterans to carry on this work and to facilitate this program in every possible way is implemented by this bill. Representative Priest's bill to establish a National Neuropsychiatric Institute to foster research on this subject, to provide for effective methods of preventing, diagnosing, and treating psychiatric disorders, and to provide an increased number of qualified psychiatrists, seems to be a very wise fulfillment of the purpose of our resolution and I am glad, after consulting with national headquarters, to appear today and give the approval of the General Federation of Women's Clubs to bill H. R. 2550 in principle. Mr. PRIEST. We certainly thank you, Mrs. Wiley, and we congratulate your organization on taking that stand as far back as 1944. Mrs. WILEY. Thank you. STATEMENT OF MRS. C. B. LOWE, MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATION COMMITTEE, NATIONAL CONGRESS OF PARENTS AND TEACH ERS Mrs. Lowe. Mr. Chairman, I have no prepared statement, but I would like to tell you very briefly why the National Congress of Parents and Teachers is supporting this bill. Ours is a volunteer organization, organized in every State in the Union, down even to the local level, and ours is the largest organization in the world working solely for the welfare of children and youth. I think I am safe in saying ours was the first of the large organizations that recognized the need for a mental-hygiene program, and while ours has been mostly a program of guidance for the parents of the children, we also recognize the need of treatment, and we, since setting up our mental-hygiene committee several years ago, have conducted thousands of study groups for parents and teachers in the field of mental hygiene. We have been in the forefront in working for the establishment of mental-hygiene clinics under juvenile courts, and mental-hygiene clinics within the public-health services of the States and communities. We feel that there is a great need for more trained people in this field. We feel that we have done a pretty good job of educating people to see the need, but we have found in setting up the clinics that we have a difficult time in getting personnel for these clinics, and we would like to see this bill passed, because we do think it does provide many of the things for which we have been working. Thank you. Mr. PRIEST. We certainly thank you, Mrs. Lowe. I agree with you. I think the training program that will be made possible if this legislation is passed, is one of the most important phases of the entire program. We appreciate your presence. STATEMENT OF WATSON B. MILLER, ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY Mr. MILLER. Mr. Chairman, may I speak for a minute? I share the views of the gentleman from Tennessee. I come here today before this committee to rather express an inference by my presence. Mr. McNutt has left the Federal Security Agency for other important duties, and as Acting Administrator of the Federal Security Agency, I feel that one of the intelligent things that Congress has done and I mean that very seriously, because I have lived with the Congress many years-is to conduct this kind of an investigation, which will be intelligent, which will be one of interest, and which will be exhaustive. I believe that the elements expressed in the bill are sound. With respect to the query of the gentleman from Ohio, I think, Mr. Brown, the position of the Agency is exactly as you would wish it to be. We are on all-fours with each other. We are in the field of States' rights; we desire to make our facilities of persuasive benefit to the States when they require them. If this is done, you will not only produce surcease from mental distress while people are alive, but it will be one of the most tremendous contributions to the future of medicine that the American people can bring about. I appreciate this opportunity, Mr. Priest. Mr. PRIEST. We appreciate your presence here and your statement to the committee. Now, because there is a meeting at which all members of Congress are expected to be present at 10 o'clock tomorrow, the committee will adjourn over until 10 o'clock Friday morning. (Whereupon, at 11:45 a. m., the committee adjourned to 10 a. m. Friday, September 21, 1945.) NATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1945 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON Washington, D. C. The committee met at 10 a. m. the Honorable J. Percy Priest (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. PRIEST. The committee will come to order. The Chair may state before beginning the hearing that we expect to conclude these hearings today, probably during the morning session. If not, we will take whatever time may be necessary this afternoon, but according to our list we ought to be able to finish by noon. We are very happy to have with us Dr. Edward A. Strecker, professor of psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania; ex-president of the American Psychiatric Society; consultant for the Secretary of War to the Surgeon General of the Army; consultant to the Surgeon General of the Navy; and consultant in Mental Hygiene, United States Public Health Service. Dr. Strecker, will you please take the stand. STATEMEHT OF DR. EDWARD A. STRECKER, EX-PRESIDENT, AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY Dr. STRECKER. Mr. Priest, this bill is very close to my heart, because it represents the fruition of something I have been working for a great many years, as a member and later on as president, of the American Psychiatric Society, and it becomes all the more important in my mind because of my experience in the two wars, where it was obvious, I think it is not too much to say, that the greatest medical need of the country is improvement of the psychiatric situation. I believe that this constituted the single most important medical issue of the war. This bill would not only be of the greatest concrete help in dealing with this enormous problem, but it would have the greatest value in stimulating the interest in study and research in psychiatry throughout the country, perhaps would even have repercussions throughout the world, so I believe this bill would accomplish in a relatively short time for psychiatry and for those of our citizens who are mentally and nervously sick something which in the ordinary course of events could not be accomplished under a hundred years. We estimate that at the present normal rate of training of men to care for people who are sick mentally it would take 100 years to educate a sufficient number. With the stimulus coming from this bill we would have a very definite shortening of that time, and we would relatively soon be able to see daylight. 75 Furthermore in those States of the country where, for various reasons, progress has not been very rapid in the care of the mentally sick, again there would be a very stimulating influence. I can almost visualize a kind of competition among the States to do a better job with the mentally sick. I have read the bill many, many times. I see no weaknesses or defects in it. I don't think there is anything in it which might be misinterpreted, or anything that would make for difficulty. To me it is a very forward-looking and scientific bill. Incidentally, I think it is very much in line with the President's thought about the importance of research, and if it is agreeable to the chairman and the committee, I hope you will permit having incorporated in the record of this meeting a quotation from President Truman's address to the Congress on the 6th of September 1945, in regard to research. I have it here. I won't read it unless you wish. Mr. PRIEST. Without objection, we will be very glad to include it in the record, and it will not be necessary to read it. (The matter referred to is as follows:) [Quotation from President Truman's address to Congress, September 6, 1945] Progress in scientific research and development is an indispensible condition to the future welfare and security of the Nation. The events of the past few years are both proof and prohpecy of what science can do. Science in this war has worked through thousands of men and women who labored selflessly and, for the most part, anonomously, in the laboratories, pilot plants and proving grounds of the Nation. Through them, science, always pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge, forged new weapons that shortened the war. Progress in science cannot depend alone upon brilliant inspiration or sudden flights of genius. We have recently had a dramatic demonstration of this truth. In peace and in war, progress comes slowly in small, new bits, from the unremitting day by day labors of thousands of men and women. No nation can maintain a position of leadership in the world of today unless it develops to the full its scientific and technological resources. No government adequately meets its responsibilities unless it generously and intelligently supports and encourages the work of science in university, industry, and in its own laboratories. The development of atomic energy is a clear-cut indication of what can be accomplished by our universities, industry, and government working together. Vast scientific fields remain to be conquered in the same way. Although science can be coordinated and encouraged, it cannot be dictated to or regimented. Science cannot progress unless founded on the free intelligence of the scientist. I stress the fact that the Federal Research Agency proposed here should in no way impair that freedom. Our economic and industrial strength, the physical well-being of our people, the achievement of full employment and full production, the future of our security and the preservation of our principles, will be determined by the extent to which we give full and sincere support to the works of science. It is with these works that we can build the highroads to the future. Dr. STRECKER. I would be glad, sir, if you would like to ask me any questions, if anything occurs to you that needs elucidation or explanation about the bill. Mr. PRIEST. Do you have any questions, Mr. Gillette? Mr. PRIEST. Doctor, we appreciate your statement. So far as I have studied the bill myself, rather consistently since last fall, when first the idea came to me to introduce such a bill, the provisions are pretty clear. I want to concur in your statement with reference to the progress I think we may anticipate as a result of the passage of |