no. i.] PSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINING IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 61 



It is requested that the facts submitted in connection with disapproval of psychology building be given earliest 

 possible consideration by the General Staff in order that waste of effort and expenditure may so far as possible be 

 avoided and the Division of Psychology, Surgeon General's Office, enabled to fulfill the reasonable anticipation con- 

 cerning its services to the Army. 



W. C. GORGAS, 



Surgeon General, U. S. Army. 



The recommendation of the above letter was disapproved by the War Department on 

 February 19. This disapproval left the medical department no choice but to provide for psy- 

 chological examining in hospital wards, and as such provision was deemed inexpedient the 

 Surgeon General promptly arranged to place the matter before the Secretary of War. This 

 was done on February 23 with emphasis of the fact that existing camp buildings might per- 

 fectly well be utilized for psychological examining if made available. The Secretary of War 

 stated that, in his opinion, buildings were available in most camps and that he would institute 

 inquiry concerning the matter. 



The outcome of this inquiry and of instructions issued on the basis of information was 

 that in the majority of National Army cantonments suitable barracks buildings were assigned 

 for the use of psychological examiners and that in National Guard camps more or less satis- 

 factory temporary arrangements were made. The conditions varied extremely in the different 

 camps but in very few was the housing arrangement equal to that which the War Department 

 had originally authorized. It was assumed, however, that funds would shortly be made available 

 by Congress for the new construction and that in the meantime psychological examining might 

 go forward under difficult conditions. 



After the passage on March 28 of the deficiency expenditure bill, which was supposed to 

 have carried an item of $384,000 for psychological buildings, the Division of Psychology, on 

 the assumption that funds had been made available, recommended the construction of build- 

 ings in camps which most needed them. This recommendation was met by the information 

 both from the construction department of the Quartermaster Corps and from the equipment 

 committee of the General Staff that the funds had not been made available for this special 

 construction and in consequence it could not be authorized. The Division of Psychology, 

 therefore, prepared to make the best of an extremely unfavorable situation. However, in the 

 summer an officer of the coordination section of the General Staff, in searching for information 

 concerning various matters pertaining to psychological examining, discovered that funds 

 actually had been appropriated by Congress in the deficiency bill of July 8 for the construction 

 of special buildings to facilitate psychological examining, although no official information had 

 been received by the division. The chief of the Division of Psychology referred this report to 

 the construction department of the Quartermaster Corps for confirmation, which was supplied. 

 Thereupon the medical department recommended the construction of special buildings for 

 psychological examining in several camps. On November 11, 1919, several buildings had been 

 authorized by the War Department, but so far as is known none had been constructed except 

 the one early provided for special instructional purposes at the school of military psychology, 

 Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. 



The failure of the War Department to provide special buildings for psychological purposes in 

 accordance with original plan and authorization proved a most serious handicap. The practical 

 value of this work to the Army was undoubtedly seriously lessened by the unsatisfactory facili- 

 ties temporarily provided in lieu of special examining buildings. 



Once more misfortune occurred where it could least well be sustained. Undoubtedly differ- 

 ence in point of view, misinformation, misunderstanding, and inadequate appreciation of both 

 the demands and values of psychological examining were chiefly responsible for the unfortunate 

 series of events which constitute the history of buildings for psychology in army camps. It is 

 quite clear that, except for certain misunderstandings in the General Staff, the buildings would 

 have been provided promptly. It is equally clear that they w T ould have been provided eventually 

 in spite of objections had it not been for delay in the appropriation of funds. 



