Memorandum of Disapproval of Bill for the Relief of Fred P. Hines.

I HAVE WITHHELD my approval of S. 204, 84th Congress, "An Act For the relief of Fred P. Hines".

The bill would direct the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs to pay to Mr. Fred P. Hines the sum of $778.78, which sum represents the amount claimed as the cost of private hospital and medical expenses incurred in connection with the treatment of a disability not connected with his active military service in the Spanish-American War.

On July 20, 1953, I submitted a message to the Senate (S. Doc. No. 62, 83d Cong.) returning without my approval S. 152, 83d Congress, a bill identical to this bill except that S. 204 eliminates the payment of attorney fees in connection with the claim. No new evidence has been submitted in the interim, and the legislative history of the current bill contains no information which would justify a change in my position in the matter.

Under the circumstances and for the reasons set forth in my earlier message, I could take no other action than to withhold approval of S. 204.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER