April 5, 1941 was loaded with news of the War in Europe - charges and counter-charges - raids and counter-raids. In Britain, manufacture of Spitfire fighter planes had greatly sped up while news from Berlin that American newsman Richard C. Hottelet (later of CBS News) was to be put in trial in Germany for espionage, a charge seemingly more of a tit-for-tat, since the U.S. was putting an accused German Agent on trial for the same thing. The big domestic news however, came by way of a Department of Justice Anti-Trust suit against the American Medical Association.
Earl Godwin (NBC News): “A federal jury in the District of Columbia decided at midnight that The American Medical Association and the District of Columbia Medical Association have violated the Sherman Anti-Trust laws. Actually, that these two professional organizations are Trusts in restraint of trade, mind you, trade. They were prosecuted by two vigorous and experienced Trust busting lawyers from the Department of Justice and the general charge was that the Medical Associations conspired to restrain and interfere with the work of a cooperative society here known as Group Health, organized among Federal employees. Group Health Incorporated is a society of Government employees paying two dollars a month and get medical service free above that charge. Doctors here and elsewhere, headed by the Chicago headquarters of the American Medical Association have resented the idea of Group Health – called it Socialized Medicine. Many of the Doctors are very active. And the profession here, at least here in Washington at least, was deeply shocked and shaken when the Government termed them a Trust and started after them just as if they were the Standard Oil Company. This trial has lasted eight weeks. In addition to the associations there were eighteen individual doctors in the same boat. But after a very plain hint from the Judge, whose name is Proctor, the jury did not include the individual doctors in their findings. This case, of course will go to the higher courts. It is interesting in these rapidly changing days to recall that the same section of the Department of Justice that went after the Doctors with a red-hot poker, went after Organized Labor in the Carpenters Union in alleged violation of the same Trust laws, the same restraint of trade. Now will the Supreme Court have the same opinion of Professional Organizations accused of the same restraint of trade, because the Supreme Court said that the Labor Union wasn’t a Trust in that case.”
Been at it a while, haven't they?
So here's the news via the NBC-Red Network News Of The World for April 5, 1941.
