#2-614
To Andrew J. May
December 3, 1941 [Washington, D.C.]
Dear Mr. May:
The writer of the editorial you sent me has very decided opinions on the
subject of military sanitation. Actually we have been under tremendous pressure
from the advocates of both sides of the prophylaxis question and the forces seem
to be about equally divided although the opponents of venereal prophylaxis are
normally less drastic in their demands than Dr. Howard. We have encountered a
great deal of opposition on religious grounds to some of our preventive
measures, but few critics have objected to the establishment of medical
prophylaxis stations.1
On the other hand the American Medical Association and the various
nation-wide organizations engaged in fighting venereal infection would submerge
us in a storm of protest if we were to accede to demands to abandon our medical
preventive measures. We make every effort by means of moral, educational and
recreational measures to keep our men away from the possibilities of infection.
Local commanders frequently place establishments and areas off limits for
soldiers. Moreover, the War Department stands ready to invoke the provisions of
your Act the moment it is apparent that local authorities cannot satisfactorily
handle conditions in their communities that are harmful to the health of our
soldiers. We have not, however, neglected the sound advice of our own
surgeons and of the American Medical Association to provide all possible
medical means of prevention for those men who expose themselves to infection
in spite of our efforts.
Notwithstanding statements to the contrary the Army venereal rate is
lower than that of any other armed service, and considerably lower than that of
civilian communities corresponding in size to our large camps. We propose to
keep it that way. I must ask you to accept my assurance that we are giving
careful consideration to the proposals of both parties to the controversy. 2
Faithfully yours,
Document Copy Text Source: George C. Marshall Papers, Pentagon Office Collection, General
Materials, George C. Marshall Research Library, Lexington, Virginia.
Document Format: Typed letter.
1. Congressman Ulysses S. Guyer, Republican from Kansas, had inserted into the
Congressional Record (vol. 87, pt. 14, pp. A5090–91) an editorial by Dr. Clinton N.
Howard in the November 1941 issue of Progress—the official organ of the International
Reform Federation—which included “a shocking revelation” of the “incentive to sin”
resulting from the army’s handling of prostitution near bases and from its policies on
prophylactic measures.
2. Congressman May replied: “My whole purpose in writing you was to keep you posted
as to the situation in Congress and the possibility of a storm of criticism from a few
fellows who want to demagogue.” (May to Marshall, December 5, 1941, GCMRL/G.C.
Marshall Papers [Pentagon Office, General].)
Recommended Citation: The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, ed. Larry I. Bland, Sharon
Ritenour Stevens, and Clarence E. Wunderlin, Jr. (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall
Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 2,
“We Cannot Delay,” July 1, 1939-December 6, 1941 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1986), p. 691.