brought up the National Defense Education Act, that he is strongly for it, but pointed out that in his capacity as dean of admissions of Penn State, he had found it too limited, it put a straitjacket on veterans-he had many veterans coming in who wanted to take other courses, but it had to be in this limited field of mathematics, foreign languages or science, and those are the only fields, and one other, in which loans could be obtained. There are so many fields of educational effort not covered by the National Defense Education Act which is slanted at a narrow field of proficiency in American education, and attempts to lift our educational standards in these very critical areas. Now, the GI bill is broader, as the chairman adverted to, as Dr. Bernreuter pointed out. It lets every veteran receive that training. Only 20 percent had ever been in college before they entered service. Only about 8 percent are college graduates-they will go on with their graduate education. But of those that take schooling, about 50 percent will take technical or on-the-job training, some in the type of institutions described by Senator Smith this morning, in community colleges, technological education, not leading to degrees, but to high technical endeavor, a field in which we are in very short supply in this country. I want to congratulate the VFW for their support in both of these vital pieces of legislation. I point out, as Dr. Bernreuter did, that the passage of this act will not do away with the necessity for the GI bill, and the passage of the GI bill will not do away with the necessity of this act. Both are very badly needed, and even with both passed, we will not have made up the lag in higher education in America. I am glad this organization has the vision to see that. Now, insofar as this requirement of either the disclaimer affidavit or loyalty oath, I feel that if that is necessary to get the bill, we will get the bill; if it is necessary to take it out to get the bill, we will take it out. I am for education. I would not want to see a debate over that stop the bill at any stage. I feel in that respect, as President Lincoln stated at one time during the war, when he was urged specifically to issue an emancipation proclamation-he said, "If I can save the Union with emancipation, I will do it; if I can save the Union without emancipation, I will do it-my primary and first objective is to save the Union." Mr. Chairman, my primary objective is to get these educational bills. Senator MORSE. Thank you very much, Mr. Stover. Mr. STOVER. Thank you very much for the kind remarks you have all made in behalf of the VFW, and we will continue to try to do all we can to improve the defense and the education and security of this Nation. Thank you very much. Senator MORSE. I am pleased to call to the witness chair J. Arnold Feldman, executive director of the American Veterans Committee. Mr. Feldman, we are delighted to have you with us. You may proceed in your own way, within the limitations of the time. STATEMENT OF J. ARNOLD FELDMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AMERICAN VETERANS COMMITTEE (AVC) Mr. FELDMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. (The prepared statement of Mr. Feldman follows:) PREPARED STATEMENT OF J. ARNOLD FELDMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, I am J. Arnold Feldman, executive director of the American Veterans Committee. We are always pleased to appear before the Senate Subcommittee on Education headed by the distinguished senior Senator from Oregon. This committee and its outstanding members have a record of achievement in which they can take genuine pride. The American Veterans Committee supports S. 1726, the bill introduced by Senator Lister Hill which would be known as the National Defense Education Act Amendments of 1961. Title II is one of the most important features of this bill. We certainly favor making permanent the student loan program and increasing the ceiling on Federal contributions from $250,000 to $500,000. There are other matters contained in title II on which our convention next week will probably take action. AVC's position can be determined only by the membership. These do not relate to the proposed amendments but to some provisions in the present act. We are unequivocally in accord with the proposed amendments to title IV. We believe that strengthening our educational system on all levels is important. However, nothing is more important than strengthening our graduate programs. The shortages of adequate teaching personnel in our colleges and universities, I believe, are going to grow more acute in the next 5 years. AVC endorses the extension of the program of assistance for guidance, counseling, and testing to include the seventh and eighth grades. We also endorse the expansion of the foreign language program in title VI to include English and the expansion of title III to include physical fitness. We hope that the program would also be expanded in the future to include the social sciences. We believe that the programs for the natural sciences, modern foreign languages, and teaching, are essential to the life of our democracy. We also believe that the social sciences are essential. Trained people in our Foreign Service, State and local officials who understand modern urban problems, school board officials with a historical view of the necessary developments of our educational system, and others are also essential to the strength of our Nation. The position of the American Veterans Committee in favor of the proposed amendment of title X, section 1001 (f), is spelled out in our platform, which calls for repeal of the requirement that individual recipients of payments or loans must execute an affidavit disclaiming subversive beliefs and affiliations.. I admire the faith that the proponents of retaining this requirement have in those who hold subversive beliefs and affiliations. From experience in fighting Communists and Fascists we know that these people would not hesitate falsely to give an oath or affirmation. AVC favors this amendment because we believe that the present requirement, which singles out college students, is not only insulting but unwise. Such requirements are generally advocated by those who in their zeal to protect our way of life would, in fact, subvert it. We recommend that Federal funds under the act can only be used in those institutions which do not discriminate because of race. We believe that our greatest sources of strength lie in the development of our human resources, our great physical resources, the strengthening of our educational system at all levels, and the constant promotion of the ideas and ideals expressed by our traditions of human dignity and freedom. We believe that S. 1726 would make a substantial contribution to our national strength, if enacted. Thank you. Mr. FELDMAN. I am J. Arnold Feldman, executive director of the American Veterans Committee. Before I get into what I have prepared, I would like to say we also endorse the peacetime GI bill, as Senator Yarborough undoubtedly realizes. We are always pleased to appear before the Senate Subcommittee on Education headed by the distinguished senior Senator from Oregon. This committee and its outstanding members have a record of achievement in which they can take genuine pride. The American Veterans Committee supports S. 1726, the bill introduced by Senator Lister Hill which would be known as the National Defense Education Act Amendments of 1961. Title II is one of the most important features of this bill. We certainly favor making permanent the student loan program and increasing the ceiling on Federal contributions from $250,000 to $500,000. There are other matters contained in title II on which our convention next week will probably take action. AVC's position can be determined only by the membership. These do not relate to the proposed amendments, but to some provisions in the present act. There are also some other matters in the amendments in which we do not yet have a position. Some relate to matters that we were asked questions about on 1021. Senator MORSE. It may be, Mr. Feldman, that the record of this hearing will be closed by the time your convention takes action. But I would like to assure you that if you will submit to me at the earliest possible date, at the close of your convention, the official position of your organization, I will see that those resolutions and statements of position are made a part of the Congressional Record, so that they can be referred to in the course of the debate, both in committee and eventually on the floor of the Senate. Mr. FELDMAN. I deeply appreciate that. Senator MORSE. It may still be possible to make it part of the official record of this hearing, but I doubt it very much. Mr. FELDMAN. Thank you very much, Senator. We are unequivocally in accord with the proposed amendments to title IV. We believe that strengthening our educational system on all levels is important. However, nothing is more important than strengthening our graduate programs. The shortages of adequate teaching personnel in our colleges and universities, I believe, are going to grow more acute in the next 5 years. AVC endorses the extension of the program of assistance for guidance, counseling, and testing to include the seventh and eighth grades. We also endorse the expansion of the foreign language program in title VI to include English and the expansion of title III to include physical fitness. We hope that the program would also be expanded in the future to include the social sciences. We believe that the programs for the natural sciences, modern foreign languages, and teaching, are essential to the life of our democracy. We also believe that the social sciences are essential. Trained people in our Foreign Service, State and local officials who understand modern urban problems, school board officials with an historical view of the necessary developments of our educational system, and others are also essential to the strength of our Nation. The position of the American Veterans Committee in favor of the proposed amendment of title X, section 1001 (f) is spelled out in our platform, which calls for repeal of the requirements that individual recipients of payments or loans must execute an affidavit disclaiming subversive beliefs and affiliations. I admire the faith that the proponents of retaining this requirement have in those who hold subversive beliefs and affiliations. From experience in fighting Communists and Fascists we know that these people would not hesitate falsely to give an oath or affirmation. AVC favors this amendment because we believe that the present requirement, which singles out college students, is not only insulting but unwise. Such requirements are generally advocated by those who in their zeal to protect our way of life would in fact subvert it. We recommend that Federal funds under the act can only be used in those institutions which do not discriminate because of race. We believe that our greatest sources of strength lie in the development of our human resources, our great physical resources, the strengthening of our educational system at all levels, and the constant promotion of the ideas and ideals expressed by our traditions of human dignity and freedom. We believe hat S. 1726 would make a substantial contribution to our national strength if enacted. Thank you. Senator MORSE. Mr. Feldman, I appreciate very much the excellence of this particular statement. I want you to know that I think it will serve as a basis for a thorough discussion in executive session on some of the controversial phases of this bill. I could not agree with you more, as I indicated this morning, that eventually we certainly ought to include assistance in the field of the social sciences. I am fully aware of the fact that in recent years there has been cause for great concern about the natural sciences. In fact, we have been falling behind in the natural sciences. That has been called to our attention by way of dramatic causation. You know, what bothers me is that so many people are quite unaware of the fact that, in quotation marks, there is an increasing amount of "illiteracy" in the social sciences among our people. As I indicated this morning, I am very much concerned about the failure of so many of our students to see the relationship between the lessons of American history and the problems of today. As a dean of a law school, when I looked over the transcript of record of students that had completed college, I frequently would say, because my school was a school in which there was individual selection-we did not have the funds in order to open the doors wide and take all who wanted to come I would frequently say, "Yes, I will let you come in, provided that next summer you go to summer school some place and take a course in American history, and take a course in English constitutional history, which of course is basic to AngloSaxon justice, or take a course in other fields of social science," when I saw huge gaps in a student's prelegal training. You see, your difficulty is to translate that into an acceptable understanding by our people generally-that there is a direct relationship between the defenses of our country and our understanding of our people concerning the social science background problems. Now, we are not going to get very far with it in this bill. I think know that as well as I do. We would not make a start in this you bill. I will close this little comment by saying that when you strengthen the enlightenment of our college students in all these areas of intellectual discipline, you strengthen the defenses of this country in no small measure. The Senator from Texas. Senator YARBOROUGH. I want to commend the American Veterans Committee, Mr. Chairman, for their support of this measure, for their wholehearted endorsement of the cold-war GI education bill, for their support of it in past Congresses, as well as the present bill pending in this Congress. Mr. FELDMAN. I would like to commend the wonderful work that Senator Yarborough has been doing for the GI bill. I am sure I am speaking for our entire organization in commending him for the work he has been doing. Senator YARBOROUGH. I would like to put into this record-I do not believe it is in the record on other education bills-the status of the decline of applications for admission to certain professional schools in America in the past 8 years. Those who have studied the question tell me deans of admission of colleges-that this is due to the absence of the GI bill. Eight years ago there were more than 19,000 students who applied for admission to American medical schools. Last fall the number applying for admission to American medical schools was only slightly more than 14,000. Eight years ago the number who applied for admission to American dental schools was 7,300. Last fall there were only 6,100. In each instance there were more places in those colleges for students this past fall than 8 years ago. Do you find, Mr. Feldman, from your experience with veterans that the cessation of the operative effect of GI bills now has caused a decline in the number of veterans who seek admission to medical schools and dental schools? Mr. FELDMAN. Absolutely, in other professional and graduate levels of education also. I think I am almost a case in point. I do not think that I could-I have several degrees. I do not think I readily could have gotten any of them without the GI bill. The class I attended in law school was the largest law school class at the time and since, because of the GI bill. You mentioned the decline in medical schools and dental schools. We all know that all organizations, including the American Medical Association, recognize that we still have a shortage of doctors and our medical schools are not now graduating enough doctors to meet the shortage. With a decline in the number of people applying, the shortage is going to become more critical. I Senator YARBOROUGH. The shortage is getting more critical. think the figures on the medical education bill will show that last year we licensed in the United States 8,000 doctors, 6,300 graduates of American medical schools, and the other 1,700 emigrates from abroad that we let in to make up the quota of doctors that we need at home. I am interested in what you say about going to law school under the GI bill, because from 1947 to December 1951, for 4 years, I was a member of the Texas State Board of Legal Examiners. We examined the applicants for licenses to practice law in Texas. We were appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas. Records were kept by the clerk of the Supreme Court of Texas. During those years we had three examinations a year. Some of the groups were examined, and in those groups over 90 percent were |