Part: 12         Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536         Page 682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717 of 1143

report which would be forthcoming. I told him Gorman would be excellent and arranged for him to meet Gorman. Finally, Florence brought Gorman, Lee and Magnuson and Rusk together in her house. Magnuson took an immediate fancy to Gorman and hired him, and they started off.

The Commission had great difficulty in getting under way, but finally with Russell Lee of California and Lowell Reed pitching in a great deal of work was started. Hearings were held in about ten places in the United States and it was decided that in order to make it non-political the Report should not be issued until after the election in November, which I've already said.

The AMA's reaction to the announcement of the Commission was one of great skepticism, but I think it knocked themoff their perch a little; it made it very difficult for them to use the cry of socialized medicine directly in the coming campaign, although they worked on it pretty well notwithstanding and got Taft committed to them as well as Eisenhower.

The President's Commission on Health Needs of the Nation finally revealed their recommendations on the 18th of December, 1952, and they were initially well received. The AMA attacked the recommendations but cautiously at first. The object which I had in mind, that the President's health insurance program should not be a major issue in the campaign against the Democrats, was largely successful, and it certainly did not become a campaign issue. On the other hand, we obtained five