Hugo Black

“ It referred to the insurance sections as providing a method for the Government to 'carry' the premiums upon servicemen's policies in private companies. The Committee recognized that carrying this insurance would cost the Government money, but expressed the hope that this burden would not be large because:
'In the first place the Government only guarantees the payment of the premiums. If the soldier dies the insurance company will get its premiums out of the policy and the Government's guaranty will not be called upon. ”

“ Article IV of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 provided a plan under which men inducted into the armed forces would continue to receive the protection of previously purchased commercial life insurance while in the service without paying premiums. [1] Insurance companies were required to keep the policies of servicemen who elected to come under the Act in effect until one year after their military service ended even though these men made no further payments. ”

“ No. 716, 77th Cong., 1st Sess. 6.↑ Hearings before the House Committee on Military Affairs on H.R. 7029, 77th Cong., 2d Sess. 38.↑ Even the Veterans' Administration stated in a formal decision in 1947 that:↑ According to the Government's figures, 7,745 policies were brought within the protection of the 1918 Act; 476 of these policies were allowed to lapse. The total amount of back premiums paid by the Government on these policies was less than $20,000 or approximately $42 per policy, showing that Major Wigmore's prophecy as to the smallness of the Government's losses was a correct one. ”

“ This is not surprising since neither was a sponsor of the measure. Moreover, since the 1940 Act was a substantial reenactment of the 1918 Act, there were no committee hearings to inform congressmen of the precise scope and effect of the Act. As neither Mr. ”