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Show LEGION COMDR TERMS SATEVEPOST ARTICLE BLATANT, OUTRAGEOUS ATTACK ON VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS National Commander Daniel F. Foley of The American Amer-ican Legion has termed an article appearing in a recent issue of the Saturday Evening Post a "blatant and outrageous" out-rageous" attack on veterans and veterans organizations and a "shocking and unwarranted" indictment of Congress and the Veterans Administration. The article is authored by the president of the United States Chamber, of Com- ice; its child welfare work; its sponsorship of youth projects emphasizing American Amer-ican ideals of fair play, tolerance, tol-erance, civic responsibility, constitutional government; its unselfish service to veterans and their dependents; its support sup-port for a national defense establishment second to none; its insistence upon the maintenance main-tenance of American principles prin-ciples of justice, freedom, and democracy." He concluded by saying: "As National Commander, I pledge to all needy war veterans, and to the widows and orphans :of those who served, that The American Legion will continue its efforts ef-forts on their behalf; that the VA's hospital system shall be maintained intact; and that we will fight with our full strength and resources any and all attempts to dismember dismem-ber the VA or otherwise weaken its ability to carry out its important mission." "This will do nothing to improve the public image of either the Post or of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Foley stated. "The article is a gross contribution to confusion. It is loaded with inaccuracies and . inconsis-t?-c'es." Entitled "Let's Say No to the Veterans," the article contends that veterans are the worst offenders among groups receiving re-ceiving from Congress what its author calls "handouts" and "federal giveaways." It refers to the veterans' benefits program pro-gram as a scandal and implies that any veterans' legislation passed by Congress is loosely written. Congressmen, the article ar-ticle states, are "demonstrably unable to resist" the lobbyist. To thwart "pressure groups," the Chamber's president recommends recom-mends abolishment of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Com-mittee. "If we were to pursue this kind of logic," Commander Foley noted, "one also would have to recommend the abolishment abolish-ment of the constitutionally guaranteed right of petition, and perhaps, the American system of representative government. gov-ernment. "We doubt if the leading spokesman for the business lobby would seriously propose pro-pose that the banking and currency committees of the Congress be dissolved." The American Legion took particular exception to the Post article's claim that the VA routinely permits veterans to perjure themselves so as to secure free medical care. The Legion leader stated that "this reckless accusation establishes estab-lishes without a doubt the Chamber president's complete ignorance of the extreme lengths to which the VA goes to ensure that its hospital beds will be used only by those who have entitlement on the basis of either service-connected or need." "We make no apology for our position on veterans' benefits," ben-efits," Commander Foley said, "just as we need not apologize for The American Legion's great and continuing program of community serv- |