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consider the whole picture of the health of the United States and would make recommendations which would come in after the election in '52.

This they did, and it was decided by the President to appoint such a commission around the 1st week of October, 1951. They were going to have a year for their deliberations.

Now, came the problem of who would be the chairman. Various people I suggested were decided against for one reason or another, and some because they were unable to or refused to take the job. Baruch was discussed. I think Henry Ford, II was asked. Robert Patterson was asked. The first person who was asked and accepted as a commission member was Dean Clark, whom I had suggested, who was then at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, they decided almost immediately that they must find a chairman and were desperate. Stone finally suggested that Howard Rusk be consulted. Howard Rusk suggested Dr. Paul Magnuson, who had been the director of the Medical Division of the Veterans Administration. Magnuson was an orthopedic surgeon who was very strong-minded and independent. However, he never thought very much about the overall picture of medical care, medical educationor research in the United States, but he was a friend of the AMA Board of Trustees and yet not likely to be ayes-man to them. It was thought a mistake to ask people whose opinions were known to agree with the President's to be on the commission and that a so-called impartial commission should be established, with members representing all groups.