STATEMENT OF MRS. THOMASINA WALKER JOHNSON, LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATIVE, NATIONAL NON-PARTISAN COUNCIL ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The CHAIRMAN. You may state your name and what you represent, please.

Mrs. JOHNSON. Yes, Senator.

Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I am Mrs. Thomasina Walker Johnson, legislative representative, National Non-Partisan Council on Public Affairs of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, with offices at 961 Florida Avenue NW., Washington, D. C. This is an organization composed of 163 chapters in 46 States with a total membership of some 6,000. Our membership is significant because most of the women might well be considered leaders; they are all college, university, or above in training. Most of them are professional women such as professional nurses-some of the most highly educated Negro nurses in America belong to this organization-physicians, social workers, musicians, and so forth.

Our organization maintains and supports the National NonPartisan Council on Public Affairs for the sole purpose of presenting our collective thinking and that of our communities on legislation, administration of public agencies and public affairs of all kinds.

We should like to present testimony from the point of view of American women citizens.

Gentlemen, American women will risk their lives for the good and welfare of American soldiers, if need be, if only the facts are present to them. American women do not want to have the charge made against them that they have failed the American men in the armed forces, and indeed America itself, by the passage of this legislation. We do not believe that a draft of nurses, or any other civilian, for that matter, is necessary in order to adequately support the war in which we are now engaged.

The nurse's situation is not composed of the problem of “adequate medical care for the armed forces" alone, as important as that phase is. The other problems involved are adequate civilian nursing care, adequate nursing care for veterans, and the problem of keeping a sufficient number of nurses in training, teaching, and supervision of nurses in training of future nurses. We do not believe that this problem should be solved piecemeal. We would heartily recommend that in the event legislation is passed, any legislation that might be written for the solution of our nursing problems, it would include each of these phases.

According to the testimonies that have been presented to this committee to date, it has not been proved necessary to draft nurses. With the present ceiling of 60,000 nurses, as new as it is; with 43,000 nurses already in the Army; with approximately 10,000 applications in the process of being classified, and a time limit of June 30, we do not believe that a draft is necessary. It seems odd that there was a ceiling of 50,000 nurses as of January 6 and that there were 43,000 nurses already in the Army which meant an established need of only 7,000 nurses at that time, that a request for the drafting of nurses

would be made. Even with a ceiling of 60,000 it is difficult to believe it would have been necessary.

In the WAC'S WAVES, SPARS, and Marines-military services that are relatively new for women-it has been possible to meet quotas on a voluntary basis. This has been possible because of the. intensive recruitment drives that have been executed. No comparable recruitment program has been carried on in relationship to the nurses.

We do not believe that it is an honor to be drafted as a nurse as has been pointed out in this testimony. We do believe that it is an honor to serve one's country in this capacity and an honor to do so on a voluntary basis. We believe that this is class legislation and as such is discriminatory and unconstitutional. We are finding a growing apprehension in many sections concerning the unconstitutional effort on the part of the military to get control of civilian life by class legislation piecemeal. We are in accord with the idea that the military have done a grand job and should have complete charge of the armed forces but should have nothing to do with civilian activities. Gentlemen, if there is to be a drafting of nurses or a draft of any civilians, we are unalterably opposed to the administration of such legislation being put in the hands of the military.

The CHAIRMAN. Wait a minute, Mrs. Johnson. The registration would be in the hands of the Selective Service, would it not, and not in the military?

Mrs. JOHNSON. We consider the Selective Service part of the military.

The CHAIRMAN. You do?

Mrs. JOHNSON. Yes; as against the War Manpower Commission as being a civilian authority. Our position was that the War Manpower Commission should handle the selection rather than the Selective Service.

The CHAIRMAN. I see.

Mrs. JOHNSON. An indication of the military's inability to handle civilian activities is the tremendous amount of surplus commodities now on hand which is a waste of manpower, machinery, and material. Surplus commodities at this moment amount to billions of dollars. This is further indicated by the fluctuations in the nurses' ceiling.

We believe that a regulation of the nursing situation is necessary. We believe that the War Manpower Procurement and Assignment with authority to enforce its findings in cooperation with the National Nursing Associations and the American Red Cross plus a planned recruiting program would get more than enough nurses. We also believe that inasmuch as the ceiling of 60,000 nurses is not needed until June 30, that the voluntary method could and should be tried. The Army has not used the available nurses. There are at least 2,000 eligible and qualified Negro nurses who are eager to serve and only 330 have been called. There are a great number of male nurses who are ready, willing, and able to serve but who have been refused. Certainly until such time as the Army is compelled to use the available qualified nurses, we would be opposed to a draft.

There have been other things that have happened to nurses that have not been brought out in these hearings for which the military

might take some action. Many nurses have gone into the military service with much zeal and enthusiasm. Nurses in the military must be placed where they may be needed to be on hand at a given moment in the future, that is, they are placed on bivouac, as it were. Not enough has been done by way of constantly reminding these nurses that this is the case. Many have written back home to say "Don't join up with the military. I joined up to serve and I am doing nothing. You are much better off where you are." Something should be done by the military to explain constantly to these nurses, who are not busy, what the situation is.

We are in hearty support of the military needs being met but we believe that in many matters relating to needs of various and sundry kinds they have certainly not proved infallible. We have asked before for an investigation of the military for not utilizing available persons, particularly the use of Negroes-thousands of Negroes are not used at their highest skill by the military; very small proportions are still being used in combat duty; Negro nurses are being used in the Army in very small numbers and until a few days ago not at all in the Navy; until now there is one Negro nurse in the Navy; only very recently were Negro women allowed in the WAVES and SPARS; none are allowed in the Marines yet; hundreds of Negro boys who would make excellent aviators are digging ditches. If a group of people and surely the military are people-will discriminate and make mistakes so grave as this, they are by the law of averages making others for which we are all paying. One of the dangers of discrimination is that it knows no bounds. It is thoroughly understood that no one can foresee how many persons will be wounded in any given situation and that the number might fluctuate, but this is certainly no excuse for putting more power over citizens under military rule.

Concerning the need for adequate civilian nursing, which is certainly a part of the total picture of nursing, one cannot urge too strongly that the Selective Service not be allowed to administer this phase. Strengthening of the War Manpower Commission, Office of Nursing Procurement and Assignment, in cooperation with the National Nursing Associations and the American Red Cross can and should do this job.

Concerning the Veterans' Administration need for nurses, it is certainly not to be wished that the veterans suffer for lack of nursing care through the maladministration of the Veterans' Administration. However, there has been such flagrant discriminations against both Negro patients and against Negro citizens who wished to serve in the Veterans' Administration that there again one wonders in what other capacities there has been such gross injustices and maladministration. This is so grave that we would like to ask a congressional investigation. of the Veterans' Administration. Negro doctors are not allowed to serve in any one of the 93 hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Veterans' Administration except Tuskegee. Negro nurses are allowed to nurse in four: Tuskegee, Oteen, N. C., Waco, Tex., and Kecoughtan, Va. We have been unalterably opposed to the erection of any other all-Negro hospitals for Negroes for many reasons, yet General Hines in recent testimony says that he plans to build other all-Negro hospitals. We were interested to note from Colonel Ijams' testimony that General Hines had had some conference on this matter with some groups.

We were one of the groups and the conference was most unsatisfactory. General Hines speaks in glowing terms of Tuskegee and its excellence but fails to say that this is 1 hospital in 93 where Negro physicians may serve veterans to say nothing of the injustice of segregating persons who have offered their very life for the four freedoms, justice, equality, and for their country.

It was interesting to note too, that Colonel Ijams stated that very few of the Cadet nurses who finish their training in the veterans' hospitals remain there. Negro nurses do not get the opportunity to stay. Tuskegee is the only Veterans' Administration where Cadet nurses are allowed to finish training. I understand in the last couple of weeks they are allowed in the hospital at Fort Devens, which makes two of the veterans' hospitals. In spite of the shortage being 1,000 in Veterans' Administration hospitals, no Negro nurse need apply except for Tuskegee, Oteen, N. C., Waco, Tex., and Kecoughtan, Va. It was also interesting to note from Colonel Ijams' testimony that they had tried every possible source. There are 2,000 Negro nurses available, but he has not tried them; this does not include Negro Nurse Cadets. Until such time as the Veterans' Administration is investigated, as would certainly seem to be needed on many scores if recent investigations by one of the leading dailies are to any degree true and necessary corrections made, it will prove futile and serve no worth-while purpose to add compulsion to the already existing condition. We do agree wholeheartedly with the Veterans' Administration that nurses serving in the Veterans' Administration in war or or in peace should be commissioned the same as are the physicians in the veterans' hospitals. We heartily recommend that his committee take necessary action to correct this injustice. We also believe that the salaries of nurses are a problem in the Veterans' Administration hospitals which commissioning would correct.

Since many of our members are teachers or supervisors of student nurses, we are vitally interested that the training programs that will be so much needed for veterans, for civilians in the post-war worldfor we do envisage a brighter, better post-war world in which there will be a floor put on health needs and in which there will be health services and health facilities for all and perhaps some to spare for our world neighbors-we are vitally interested that the training programs that will be so much needed for veterans, for civilians in the post-war world will not be curtailed.

It has been gratifying to see this very excellent committee of some of the finest minds in America trying so earnestly, so sincerely, so fairly, and justly to solve this problem for the best interests of America, American men, our nurses, and our civilians.

Gentlemen, we sincerely hope that you will eventually determine that it is unnecessary to draft nurses. However, in the event that there is to be a draft of nurses there must be antidiscrimination provisions and those already provided must remain in this legislation.

In the event that a new bill is drafted by the Senate committee, we would earnestly request that in the statement of policy and purpose of the legislation it include the fact that "adequate nursing care and medical care must be provided for the armed forces of the United States and it is imperative to secure immediately the services of additional trained and skilled nurses without discrimination or segre

gation because of race, color, creed, or sex." Further, in any section or sections where the selection, induction, and administrations are outlined that it be followed by the phrase "without discrimination because of race, creed, color, or sex."

The CHAIRMAN. The amendment in the House bill in regard to discrimination is all right?

Mrs. JOHNSON. Yes; it is all right, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.

This hearing will stand in recess until Monday morning at 10 o'clock.

(Whereupon, at 11:30 a. m., a recess was taken until 10 a. m., Monday, March 26, 1945.)