Doubt Favorable Vote on Congressional Medal of Honor for Chas. Levine

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Representative Cohen of New York, yesterday introduced a new bill into the House, identical with the one passed in the Senate, asked that Congressional Medals of Honor be awarded to Clarence D. Chamberlain and Charles A. Levine. A prior bill to award a medal to Chamberlain was ordered reported by the House Coinage, Weights and Measures Committee, without the amendment to similarly honor Levine. The Committee has been asked by Representative Cohen to withhold this report until he has had an opportunity to be heard on the measure he presented yesterday.

The new bill reads: “That the President be and is hereby authorized to award, in the name of Congress, gold medals of appropriate design to Clarence D. Chamberlain, pilot, and Charles A. Levine, organizer and participant, for their extraordinary achievement in making the first successful non-stop aeroplane flight from the United States to Germany in June, 1927.”

Immediately after introducing the bill, Congressman Cohen requested Chairman Perkins of the Coinage Committee to call a meeting to consider the new bill. Chairman Perkins is to give his answer to Congressman Cohen today. Difficulty is anticipated in securing a quorum of the Committee at this time, owing to the proximity of adjournment. Congressman Cohen stated he would have introduced the bill before, but for his impression that the amendment in the Committee would be the better procedure. He also stated he intends to press his demand for including Levine in the honor and indicated that he expects to call a number of officials, including representatives of the Department of Justice to testify regarding Levine’s status in connection with charges against him arising out of the war transactions.

It is understood here that the meeting of the Committee which refused the medal to Levine was attended by five members, of whom three voted against the amendment and two for it.

On May 12, Senator Brookhart of Iowa introduced a bill for awarding a medal to Chamberlain only. Senator Bingham offered an amendment including Charles A. Levine and this bill, with amendment, was passed and sent to the House where it was referred to the Coinage Committee.

Congressman Cohen had previously introduced a bill similar to Senator Brookhart’s. The Committee decided to consider the Cohen bill in preference to the amended Senate bill, but when it came up for action, Congressman Cohen appeared before the committee and stated that after giving further consideration to the matter he felt Levine should be included, and accordingly submitted the amendment. After some discussion, the committee declined, some of the members giving as the reason that Levine was only a passenger. It is understood, while not expressed, that another objection was based on the government’s claim against Levine for refunds growing out of war contracts.