”VD Problems of Unlisted Mm 
V in ?rarSA" 
Report .12.3 M-l 
Propor 3d for 
Chiafj Preventive Medicine Princh, Medical lictior, Hq, MTCJJSA 
by 
Research French, Information and Education Sontier, Hq, MTOUS\ 
10 September 194fj TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Pago 
introduction ....*. 
HOW THIS STUDY rJAS MADE , 2 
VALIDITY OF THE METHOD 3 
I. Main Findings 4 
II. Dotailod Findings 10 
1. Frequency of Sexual Intercourse,,,, 10 
2. Sexual Exposure and VD. 12 
3. How Contacts Are i'*ido.••••••.. ••••••• I3 
4. Preventive Practices of the i 16 
5. Soldier Information Abort VD 
6. Attitudes Toward the VD Educatlor Jr ro gram 30 
j 
7. Background Characteristics of T7Ho Expose . .. . 
Thoms elves ............ 33 
/ 
8. Some Personality Factors and V’ nr Rhation to 
Sexual Exposure....... 43 
9. Selected Army Attitudes in RxV-t.'.on’ to VD Problems, 51 
- 10. How the Men rrould Control VD ........ie, 62 
11, Tire Officer As an Example, to is . en .... •••••,•••• 68 
.III, Conclusion 74 tUTHODUCTiq: 
1* This is one of tv’o reports on various aspects of soldier information, 
attitudes, and oehavior relative to the problem of controlling venereal disease. 
The second report (122 li-2) deals vith the special problems presented by the v 
Negro soldier, 
2. It is expected and it is generally true that VD (venereal disease) rates 
rise vhen troops at rest. The problem, therefore, becomes especially acute 
in'periods when troops await demobilization or during occupation of enemy 
countries, 
3* This report has oeen prepared to help those who plan for preventing VD 
by furnishing supplemental date- to the data on VD rates, which they know so well, 
HO' ' THE STUD* T .TAS MaDE • 
1, The data upon which this report is based obtained by means of 
questionnaires filled out anonymously by- a representative cross-section of 
1866 white enlisted men in the Mediterranean Theater during the period 15 
June - A August 1945 (shortly after VE day), 
2. ‘ The sample was designed to give proper representation to all arms and 
services in each of the major commands. Men in Air Forces, Ground Forces, and 
Service Forces were included in the survey according to their proportions in 
the Theater as a whole. Troops were sampled proportionately on a geographical 
basis also (location within Italy, proximity to cities, towns, and rural areas) 
since it is known th*.t VD in the Italian population varies geographically', 
Mthin each unit sampled, a random sample was drawn so that all tyrpes of men had 
a proportional chance of being included in the survey, 
.3* As in previous surveys of the Research Branch, the men were assured of 
anonymity, No names or serial numbers were placed on the questionnaires, and 
•it was explained to the men th t the purpose of the survey was principally to 
get their frank and honest opinions about one of the Andy’s most persistent 
problems• VALIDITY OF Tin: JETHOD 
The question inevitable arises as tc whether the men will tell the truth 
about anything so intimate as frequency of sexual contact and whether the;? have 
ever contracted a venereal disease. Since questions on those two matters are the 
vers heart of the present report, it is important to note whether there is any 
evidence shoeing th«-t the men have indeed told the truth. There is onervery 
important bencnnu rk against which the work of this survey can be compared, namely, 
the Theater rates of VD as reported hg unit surgeons for ar£ given month or for 
the period of the stud;. It vd?l be shown in Section 2 of the detailed findings 
that; 
(1) The frequency of VD as reported by the men in this anonymous 
questio/maire study is 57 cases per 1CX)0 men per annum, which compares very 
favorably vdth the Theater rate of 60 as computed fro i medict.l reports for 
the Theater. 
(2) The rate of A cases of VD per 1000 sexual exposures as -determined 
from unis study can be combined with stated rates and projected 
against Theater strength figures to predict quite closely the amount of VD 
that actually occurred in June, which is the last month covered by the 
survey. . „ 1 
Additional checks as to acrurac; of the’sampling procedures are routinely 
applied by the Research Branch against the official A-O statistics with regard 
to such characteristics reported by the men as their marital status, age, tine 
overseas, time in the Army, Array rank or grade, and education. 1'hen sampling 
is correctly applied there seldom arises a question here, for men do not hes- 
itate to tell t-hi truth about such prosaic matters. The important point ’in 
this particular study was that of the validity of th men1 s answers to the 
"intimate” questions, and there .sterns to be liutle reason to doubt their answers 
on this score. . I. linl]I 
1. Frequency of Sexual Iiit rc urse 
.. .3 out of A of the men in tnis stud;, (v iito DM only ) have hud inter- 
course in Italy (?y^). 
...the average frequency of intercourse- timong men vho h; ve intercourse 
is once or twice a month. 
...there is no indication th. t th y expect to reduce th-'ir frequency of 
contact, during tneir stay in Italy. 
2• Sexual Kxposur* _ and VD 
,. .15/> of the aen report that th- y have had one or aore VD infections 
sometime in the ir life, : 1th Pfo reporting one infection or more since 
coming overseas (not necessarily Italy), 
...10fo of the men ’•'■ho have been infected overseas have been infected 
more than once Thile overseas. 
.. .approximately A cases of VD .-.rise -from each 10-X) stxual contacts, 
...aen who knave most fr.quant intercourse .r ve ac cumulated th ? greatest 
proportion of VD infections, but th y have Power inf actions p< r 10U0 
exposures than men i ho have least frequent xxrosure. 
1 * 1 
f 
3• ? How Contacts are Matte 
...no one method for meeting women is outst .dingly used. 
...men who have most .frequent intercourse are more likely to depend on 
themselves to mak the contacts, while those who have less frequent inter 
course tend to d.pend, on an intermediary, such as another soldier or a pin. 
«. ♦among men who h.ve inter bourse 72 per cent pay cash, 27 per cent pay 
• nothing (but perhaps give gifts of rationed goods), and only 1 per cent 
th y pay with cigaretts, food, or clothi.ig (summer of 19A5). 
...men who soy th>.y have most frequent intercourse are also those who 
are more likely to pay nothing. 
Ai Prevu-ntive Practices of th lien 
..*73 per c- nt of tho *aen say th' y aluay s use a condom, A7 p--r cent say 
they ; Iways go to a Pro Station, and 27 r :r cent say they alway- s use a 
P**o-Kit or V-Packetto. ...only 43 per cent always uso both condor, and Fro, while 4 per cent 
in -Icate that they "usually don’t” or "..over" use any precautions. 
The remainder have mixed prophylactic procedures. 
...men who hove moot frequent intercourse are moot likely to have 
poorest trophy1“c11c habits. 
...men "he say they use both rubber and Pro r pc t about 2.5 cases 
of VD aer 10 b j soxual contacts or exposures, .vhilo men who say they 
use prophylactics irregularly or not --t all report about 5.5 cases 
of VD per 1000 exposures. 
...because they have more frequent intercourse as well as because 
they use poorer prophylaxis. these latter men lave accumulated rel- 
atively 5 times os much VI) during the nr overs ea s tcur«. 
...men who have had VD overseas are still the men most likely to report 
poor prophylactic'habits- for only 20 per cent of them, always use a 
rubber and Fro, as compared to 45 per* cent for non who have not had VD, 
...failure to use a Pre-Kit is act due to ignor c..-, for 95 per cent of 
the men who have intercourse say they know how to use a Pro-Kit. 
...75 per c ant of the non say rubbers and Pro-Kits are available on a 
voluntary basis for men vine want t ..m, whxio 12 per c uvt say they must 
havo supplies before going on pass, 
...men who must carry supplies report better pro hyl.ctic practices and 
somewhat lower VD retes. 
...some of the many re sons offered for net usi: a; condom are: a con- 
dam reduces the pleasure of intercourse. C'uses sking irritations, vio- 
lates religious principles, or is aesthetically ugly, 
...some of the reasons for not going to Fro Stations are: it’s not 
necessary if you use a rubber, there often isn’t enough time, ’’shack . 
jobs” don’t permit it, embarrassment, fe.r of punishment or foar of 
physiological harm from the Pro itself, 
...some objections to Pro-Kits or V-Packettes ere: likelihood of self- 
injury such as sterility, the p--in involved in using them, the materials 
are deteriorated in many or they are r. ma y, 
• . . ' r ■ I - ■ ' . e •s. J 
...some objections to "sulfa" pills are: frr of using a drug except 
by proscription, they aro upsetting to the stomach, kidneys, and bladder,, 
they merely delay or suppress VD symptoms and do not cure, or there is 
a danger that you will build up an# immunity which will bo regretted 
later. 5. Soldier information about VD 
..-half of the men entered 6 or ?11 7 -Ucstions correctly on a VD fact- 
euiz, and 90 p--r c nt got 4 or. more of tiru ? correct, thus indicating a 
satisfactory grasp of the Material* 
...Men who expose th .ms-elves most fr quermiy to VD and those ho have 
had VD overseas score .just as high as oth r groups on the information 
tOk> U . 
...a third of the men v.ho have: intercourse say th« y som< tines or usually 
nshack up" for the nipht; rv n who made the test scores are .lust as 
likely to shack up as taoso i ho made the vorst. 
...men who score lowest and men who score highest are equally likely to 
say th y alway.se use a condom> Pro Station, or Fro—Kit., 
6. Attitudes toward the vp meqo- tional Pror.r m 
.,in spite of long service in the Army, an" meny repetitions of the 
subject, 2 out of 3 a n rate cur'rcnt .levies and talks on VD as fairly 
good or very g:od. 
...93 par cent cf the men have seen movies or heard talks on VD in the 
past 6 months. 
...there is no wvidqnc.. that f re- moiit VD talks or movies cut down the 
exposure of men to VD when overseas. 
...the great majority of men feel ao need for further information on VD; 
only 13 per cent 5 y there is uite a bit th y need to know about VD. 
7. Background Characteristics of men T.ho Expose Thorns* s ""—- * 
...the majority of both single and /married men have- had intercourse in 
Itcily , cut more single men (78$) than married men (60$) have had sex 
relations. 
...married men, esp^chilly those with children, hc.ve had less VD while 
overseas, • * 
...church membership in gen ral is only slightly associated with abstaini 
from intercourse (10$ difference). Among Protestant churdh member, 33 r 
cent abstain rhilo 20 per cent of Protestant members abstain; 
26 per cent of Catholic church members abst; in, while 22 pa r cent of 
Catholic non-church members' / bstain. This is reflected in a slightly 
better VD record for all church m mb rs. ...men who hove attended college aro more likely to say they have abstained 
than men onyany other educational level, and they have had less VD overseas. 
...younger mon account for an excessive proportion of the intercourse and VD 
among soldiers in Italy, 
...rural and urban mon do not differ much in their overseas sox habits, 
...the number of mon who had sexual contact builds up directly with time over- 
seas until we find 81 per cent of the men reporting intercourse while in Italy 
among thso who have been overseas 2 years or more, 
... the average number of s.xual contacts amoqg those who have intercourse 
also increases with length of time overseas. 
...the number of men with VD infections builds up, too, until .wo find 13 per 
cent of those oversows 2 years or more reporting an infection (Theater average 
is 8$). 
f 
...there is no observable relation b3twoon a previous record of combat and 
frequency of sexual contact at the time of this study, which was about 2 months 
after hostilities ended in this Thoatir, 
1 
8, Some Personality Factors and Their Relation to Sexual Ixposuro 
... an unmarried man who says he is sure his sweetheart has stayed loyal is 
only slightly more likely than unmarried men to remain continent while 
in Italy, 
...9 out of 10 men say they drink wine or liquor in Italy. The 90 per cent 
who drink also report more intercourse and mcr3 VD in It-ly. 
...men who drink most aro moro likely to report t. t they do not bother with 
usual prophylactic precautions, 
.. .the problem of "not bothering with prophylaxis—drinking more than other 
men—having more intercourse*? indicates a complicated personality situation 
rath or than something .as simple as **no liquor - no VD", 
...men who hovo ho intercourse say they fear VD for its possible consequences 
to loved ones, whereas mon who have most frequent intercourse tend to rate 
fear of personal harm first, 
...90 per cent of the men say it*s a nan’s own fault if lie gets VD. • V• Selected /.rmy attitudes in Relation to VD Problems 
.. .only 15 per of th non display ft sharp attitude of proval 
toward • soldier who co:.tr .cts VDi the profit majority excuse VD if 
mi infect*. d goes on sick coil right av y, 
...a third of the men s-y n infected aan los r privileges or is pen- 
alized in some way cj h*s CO. 
...the men ..re split evenly on th question of punishing a n?.n who 
contracts VD uoro th- n one.-*. with US pc: cent in favor Mid 17 per cent 
against punitnment even under these circumstances. 
...men who get to to’n on pass most frequently report neither more 
nor less intercourse th r do otters. 
.. .men who got tho most overnight passes r*--- ort :or: intercourse than 
other wen, n •. they "re more likely to indie .tf th: t they stay over- 
night in It.'sLi n residences. 
,.-men who reported most inter-ours frankly say that tho usual thing 
they do on « p ss is loo!:'for a woman (63/0 Mid some liquor (52/0• 
fuuong all men (t. cs.. ’ho h vo ?'course is well rs those rho* 
do not), 31 P'-r cant e v tlw.y loon for a i.oman and 40 |xr cent say 
they look for liquor as usual activityf 
...frequent dances and p rties for th< men in ..o noticeable nay reduces 
the amount of sexu 1 int rcourse; in fact, there is a slight tendency 
tov.mrd more inter ,*ovrse .miong men who have frequent drnces and parties. 
...in answer to question on he., lust to i. .prove leisure tine activities 
men who h> vo frequent int- rcourso request more bars, norv dances, and 
more overnight pi Ces. to st .y , where is men who have no sex relations in 
Itfily veto for tour: , school and tjoc training, and clubs. 
10. How th . Men vould Sontrol VD 
...a minimum of 31 per c nt would have the .-.rmy frankly sanction pro- 
stitution Mid .tv, or control houses. 
•. .3u per cent merely re iter te p. rts or . .1 th.. present 1 rmy pro- 
phyl* ctic program ■ hen asked for sagg* stions on how best to control 
VD. 11. The officer us -a; Zr.' ,.iy lo to Men 
... c. number of men volunteered co xa ,i ts indie* tinr that 1. cturc-s bi 
office rs '..no then vio2. it-. the principles of VD ntion themselves 
or v/ho i** other i vs viol-.to /.It's c -use r- sc licit nt toward th whole 
VD control progr am. 
N'.tj: Tjio Co elusion to t' is report nill "on foi o ' y 71 ll • D^Th—ImD FHID.'-I I. 
1, Frequency of Sexual Intorcourse- 
Three white enlisted men out of U in this study state th t th.; 1 ve had 
sexual intercourse since th y h vt b u. an It ly (?3aj. Th* problem of con- 
trolling venereal dise.-.se is obviously an enormous one in terns of th ; sheer 
exposure, oa our soldiers to it ,li/ 
It must not bo assume a from this th't soldiers in all Thc.itorsrhave equally 
high exposure rates. For inst nee, a stud" made oy th' Pose- rch Branch in CBI 
in shoi.ed as lov: -is 17 p .r cent of white* ill in cert-in arc- s having' h? d 
sexual intercourse since being in th The! ter. Thron/ houc this report, the 
caution must b- borne in mind that these data • i- f<*' MTFF.CA orJ.y. 
a, Frequency of exposure. Thu 73 per cent of th» mt n ' ho h v< had inter- 
course in Italy say they hive h d rol. tions an average of 4 or 5 times in the 
last 3 months, or more trr n once each month (1.75 times p r month), one a-*»n 
in ten says he has relations at least once per week, ;s shorn be lor j 
T’.iblo 1 
Question; ’’About hov .v ny time have you hod sau I intercourse during tho 
last 3 months?”* 
Thor* tor 
Per cent saving iworagr 
VM 
At least once a wee* flO ! 
Three or four times a month C 8~i 
1 
5th Armj 
Caaba t*# 
100^ 
t 101 
rl'0 ! 
h 
AAF 
IX';» 
C rn 
paq 
FBS 
100? 
Nj 
t 
5th Ar 
Sorvic 
IOC# 
l 
•S: 
raj' 
o** 
Once or twice a month 
34 : 
• 33 
I 
33 1 
—-■'i 
1 
)32 
39 
Less than once a month 
21 |' 
r •*'* 
,14 
26 
• 
24 
18 
’ 
Not since Ifve been in Italy 
- 
27 ' 
: ' 
33 
! 
27 
! 23 
i 
22 
-i 
The exact wordin'- of the choc!: lint is: ’To ti . . t .1.1, 1 timo, 2 or 3 
times, 4 to 6 ti )Of 7 to 12 tl os, noro t’nn II loa (onco n uook). Tho 
group (27$) b lo’*) thhorizontal crons-lino ruled Solves out on s 
proviour. -’uostion. 
** Fifth Army combat troopr aro defined in thin study r those in Infantry, 
Field Artillery, Armored Force id Tonic Destroyer units. All others aro 
considered service troops, 
[/ Virtually £3tl Negro W. (96 per cert) spy they huv had sexual intercourse 
in It?ly (see Report 122 M-2), The Iru.er sexual intercourse' rate among 5th Arr*iy combat men is at least 
partly traceable to the fac s that, tl) the, 3 months referred to in the 
question covers a pemod ■ ner. the men v.ere completing the push that, resulted 
in victory in Italy. , an ’ (2; they have ocen overse s a shorter time. 
b, Lxpestation of further exposure. Two out of three men (67%) say that 
they expect to have intercourse or tlrnt they might have intercourse in the 
.future i-nile they ... re in It ly . Vith such a large jreportion frankly stating 
the likelihood of further exposure, this is small comfort for those ’.ho must 
plan for VD control. FES men ’'ere most likely to sa; try t they expected to 
have intercourse xhile in (?A>), vhilo 6 A per cent of 5th Army combat 
men indicated that the; probably vould, Fifth Amy service troops and aaF 
men stood betr. een the others on this question each) 
ns might be expects i ,. men ’ho reoorted lost sexu-1 contact in the-past are 
those who most likel; to sa; that they expect to have further contacts. 
Further analysis shov-s, fur thc-t not all of the 2'f per cent. *vho have remained 
continent in Italy to date plan to remain so. In fact 25 per cent of those 
_iho have had no sexual contacts in Italy to date say that they might before they 
leave Italy, 
The •. ;or..1 turmoil of so no of these men**, ho have abstained is revealed in 
a freely v/ritten comment by a 21-' ear-old soldier vho nas been overseas almost 
3 years. ne say s: 
"The reason I haven’t as yet :v d intercourse is probably that it never 
bothered me in civilian life rhen school tool: u, most of my time. I 
think about it a lot over hero and - onder if I’m not being too prudish 
about it. I’d like my first ,time to be ’nice’. Usually .lose my' nerve 
when I feel in the mood—afraid of sloubing it ip. Don’t shy away- from 
it as a subject of conversation, but think I ml let it go nor that I night 
return to the States soon. Boy , am I gm.d ; ou don’t ask for namesl" 
Others also indicate that they are groving oi ler i feel they are mis- 
sing something: 
"Personally, A( years of th Army is enough foi any one. . I’d like to be 
a civilian and get m ; ned before it's too late I" 
Another man vho was protesting against the army * s ’ Off-Hilts’ policy as 
a means of VD'control added; 
"’Keep it in your pants’ doesn’t work after tvo years a ray’ from home.” 2. Sexual by.aosure and VD 
a. Latent of UD. Fift en per crnt o ' th men in this study report thr t 
th:y h-; ve had one or mor - D i if cations so. m-tiie in their lives, with eifcht 
per c nt reportin'-* an i a- sine, cocin ov* rsi • s (net necessarily Italy). 
Table 2 
Number of 
Men r^porting one or .ior: \H infections... 
C.S s 
For cent 
Total ovvrse.ic infe men 
(150) 
(a.o) 
Ov rseas onl; 
lie 
6.2 
Overseas end in garrison/-' 1>oth 
10 
0.5 
Overseas and in civilian life 
19 
1.0 
Overseas, garrison, .-nd civil! n life 
3 
0.3 
Tot: 1 infected .,;en error to ov rsens 
(133) 
(7.1) 
Garrison onl; 
2$ 
1.3 
Garrison and civni n life both, out not 
over sea. s 3 
0.3 
Civilian life onlt 
103 
5.5 
lien' not infected or bo a ns* v r*~* 
15F.3 
FZ*.9 
Tot/1 
INdo 
J.00 n 0 
' * Gf.rrisoft.ifs, dufi ad as prior to ov rs-.i.s shii'm nvt but vhiL- in the Army, 
■ ' Leg & ‘ t hi R ”2 ’ pbr "be ht of the .i- n failed to ansi ..r th- question. It can- 
not be assumed that these men are pr.be*hi; VD c- sas, since jar rgr - of them 
. show lo.i lev-; Is of literacy . 
Ton per cult‘of th*?se men who rujxart an infection 1hile ov rsoas sap they 
hu.vc- been infected while ’overseas more th n once, i nth .in naerape of about l.Z 
infections per man in the group that has been inf ctod w-iila ov- rsras. T’hen the 
total number of oversee infections they report Is converted into rates par 100C 
men per annum, a rate of 57 is obtained which compares v:y close Ip. with the 
Theater vorag r: to of bout 60 as computed from actual medical reports.il/ This 
lends considerable confid.nc to the use of the present sample as being, rc.pro- 
a/ The surv. j rate of" 5*? o<.-.s$£r':*yfr •/!) per 1000 m- n ;•* r annum v'-TsT 'oLtnrneJfbPr.- 
ducing tne tot .1 number of infections r- ported while oversees from a 21 month 
basic (which is the average - both rithmotic and m dian - number of months 
served overseas by these men) to a 12 months bet sis, -aid converting.1; to a r* to 
per 1000 men. The The ter VD rate of 60 is a sL.plc nritlmetic fiver,age of th 
rates reported for th„ period January IVA3 through June l';A5, which covers th 
period of averse .c s> - vice for almost all of th*- men in the study, (I o at- 
tempt was made in this study to differentiate batVv.cn tppes of VD, nor vurc t 
men asked if they picked up several differct - t„ pes of VD on the occasion 
vhv.n thep were infected.) sentative of non in the The tar, and it indicates th t the aen feel free to re- 
port intira te problems and attitudes under the conditions provided in 
tnis survey. A furtn r indication of samplin, i dequacj- is shorn b;- the fact 
that men of Fifth report invest VD infections, v;ith AAF next -nd PBS high- 
est. T .is is tha s: Tiv ordo • as reported in the official medical statistics for 
previous month 5. 
b. It* L.:t_on o:‘ o:<. osur... to .■). It c; n be shoi n th t there • re approximately 
c se-s of 71) origin.' fro.. 0 oh IQuO senu 1 cent cts overseas (unite ELI only/).f*J 
Curiously enough, those v,n > have th* le sfc frequent sox uni cont cts report 
th. ...ost VD rhile ov.rsc s per IC'X e.posur.s (Table 3): 
Tabl 3 
irD infections p -r 1000 
Froquonc. of intercourse in . .. . 
•er.rosurcs overseas 
Loss than once: a month (Group 
14 
Once or tuice ;i month (Group IJI) 
3 
Three or more times a month (Group 
IV)) 2 
(Tneatcr avers 
Group I consists o" men v/ho hr ve 
■go) (4) 
Iv.d no int rnoursc in Italy and is 
i>cecsc.rii; omitted. 
Although the group th t has most ir quent cont ct h- s a lov..r VD rate per 
1000 exposures* it is true that the} have accumulated somerh. t nor- VD vhile 
overseas (T ibi*.. 3a). 
Tahiti y\ 
Proportion of VD - 
•infections reported 
Frequency of intercourse in it ly ... vn:l 0 / rsec # 
Less than onco c. month (Croup II) 11/* 
Once or trice 0 montn (Group 1-1) % 
Three or tines aoi.ch (Group IV) 16% 
* Total number of ti us infected divided b;, tot 1 number of men in group, 
a/ Imhen th The. ter strength of wproxi. t tely 38$,OuO v-.hite Lie during Kay and 
June (p -nod for rhicn of the men T ere rej -rting frequency of sexual 
contact) is multiplied first by 73m (proporti >n tiu.t h«- ve intercourse), sec- 
ond by 1.75 sexual contacts per run. an * then by A c. sc5 of VD p>..r 1000, it 
is estii ted tin t bout 1970 c sc3 of rD should p] - • r among unite LM for on* 
month in that period, In May rd Junt, a.n average of 194L cases was' actually 
•reported by unit surgeons, vhich is substantial proof that both the. 
frequency .of exposure as reported by the men and the rate of A oases of VD 
per 1000 exposures are reliable. Tms seems to indi tc th: t ..ain vho expose tarns* Ives frequently arc using 
prophylactic methods expcrt.ly enough, to oil’set much of the d nger to vhich they 
expose themselves repented!; . An eltem tive interp rut at ion is that men vho 
are no- in the loir* freque ncy ,rou; s for soxu 1 intercourse (II : nd III) wore 
“burned”, vs they sa; , by VD e -rly in the game, bi.ee then, th y have reformed 
their Se.iu. 1 hnbits and ns ... result, th y no* have lor. sexual contact rate, but 
their arlier he bits resulted in the infections overseas r iich th ty report. 
a third inferpr tution is th t a man vho r: orts high frequency of intercourse 
h. s established rel. exons .ith - girl or girls 1 ho he us Iraarcd are' clean 
bee use they did . ot infect hi . He visit. th v. reu-x tedl. , thus actually not 
exposing hi.isolf to VD more th n th man vho sc-hr occ-is: onrl sexual intercourse 
v.'itn to..ion about ivnom he knows nothing. 
V/hatevcr the explanation, it is obvious from these d* tthat nen vho have 
most frequent intercourse (f-rou IV) do not h ive T'I) rates that are proportionally 
higher than those vho report i.ifr quant intercourse.. 3. dc. Contacts ..n- 
0. 11 ce-. There1 is no one method or plc.cc. cr contact in/-* ' omen. rhich is 
outst u;dingly use , shorn b; the men’s a.ns'ars to th* -mestion: 
Table h 
Question: ""do\ did ; on m .1 the girl you ].c st h« d si xu.il inte rcourse cith?" 
Froportion saving... 
Aneng a- n v*ho 
r • 'rt int r- 
c nrs*. in Italy 
On the street 
22.r • 
Another soldier took n- to Lr or she/., .a :.i; 
vhoro to ro 
20 
At ;’A‘ Army denco or party 
17 
I found her house or /uri./nt b; r.\* s If 
15 
Some Italian :id or pimp took if/ to her or she' . d 
me v.iK re- to go 
1/t 
In an Italian bar 
C* 
f 
Some other vay 
r- 
J 
rpi » -» 
ICt x 
10u, 
'Thera are differences b; fro quo lie; of contact, horever. Ken uho report 
frequent intercourse (Group IV) are me rt. likely to s- ; the; jit do th contact: 
(l) On the street. 
, (2) At an Arm; dance or part;. 
(3) I found her house or apartment by .a; self. 
ken who seldom had into "course in t.ie pn vloue thro-.. ...ontkr (Groups II and 
III) are more likely to s..y th ; dej nudod on an interim ii r; . They say: 
(1) -another soldier took m.. to h r or she- d mt vhore to go. 
(2) Som- Italian kid or pimp took w.. to h r or showed nr v;h< j\ to go. 
(3) In an Italicn b r. 1 • 
b. me thod o: payment. Sev. nt;—tv.o r c nt of Ih ir a v 10 .r \a inte r- 
course say tiny usually p-y c sh for intercourse and 2? p j' cent say the' pay 
nothing. Gulp 1 ci nt s , th< „ pap ith cigarette s, food, or clothing at 
the time of this survey (Summer 1 ■//,?.), iov v ", it is quit lik Ip that many 
of those ' ho sa; th«; par nothin ,;iv. gifts of cigc-rel s (especially) or 
food or clothing, but the; do not look upon this as 1 •ric arrangement. Hath r 
the basis is that of a fh-or for u favor. . 
Men rno huve intercourse froq uitly (■ run IV) rr», mor* likrly to report 
that they pap noting'. T :is together 1 ith th f c t1 .t they are more likolp 
to say the; found h* r .p at unt thems lv s indie ter th a they ar- son what more 
likely to have re rule ri; .• their se. u.m b- h .vior. U. Preventive- Practic-s of the -Aon 
a, i referred r.i thods. There is no one preventive, method used bp all the 
men. Amo; * men who h ve h ’ miter cares in condem is preferred, with 
seconder? roiiaa.co placed on visit to th 1 ro Station. Th;. Pro-Kit is rela- 
tive. Ip- unpopular; 
Table- 5 
Facilities of 
I ro-Kit or 
cent saving ucc it... 
Condor i 
ci I j o It'it ion 
V-I ackottc 
Alva;; s 
75/j 
2% 
Usually 
16 
2h 
IB 
About half the tlac 
k 
11 
11 
Usu: 11} don’t 
! 3 
o 
J 
15 
iJcvt r 
o 
r* 
29 
Total 
ltJO£ 
' 1' X 
100?' 
If the. Arms stand rd, "Alvavr uro a rubber and ?J.-aps take a Pro", is 
really the requirement of -dequ to protcctio: , then it is clear that a 
part of men who have ii stereo- rse jrc not -d<-qu tei; rotv.ctc.d. ’ hen the ans- 
wers -re combined to show ho: m. of tn; . i-on use uoth u condom and a Pro 
(either the Kit or a visit to r ft ..tior), *3 per cent sa; unequivocally 
that thep use both procedures, while h per c- nt indicate t.v t the} "usually' 
don't” or "never" use arc, of tie thre (first colxui of Table o): 
Tabic; 6 
A*.ion.:; all a*, n 
Fre<'Uency 
of intvrcoursa groups 
1 no h ve 
Grouj II 
Group III 
Group 17 
Proportion vrho... 
intercourse 
(. a .•. st J 
(. louiuanj 
(Most) 
Always use . rubber C75fJ 
Always tc«ko l Pro 
I 3;- 
53£ 
UV' 
23? 
Perhaps tak-. •• Pro 
20 
26 
26 
Usually donft t k.: a Pro 
7 
7 
7 
7 
Ma;( or may not use a rubber 
13%1 
AND, 
- 
Always tak' a Pro 
9 
6 
Q 
12 
Perhaps tak’ a Pro 
12 
S 
11 
21 
Usually don’t take a } ro 
-iU 
_ 1 
o 
11 
’I otnl 
ico7> 
it.Q/j 
luoT 
100^ 
a/ ken vvho*havo not h .d intoroourae in Italp and those IV v \ ho did not 
the question hre omitted in parts a, b, and. o oi tais section. men vho re i..ost •• ctr. c in s<‘dicing intercourse (Group IV) arc obviously the 
vary mo ir vho ar ilk.-I; to h ve the poo port prophylactic habits, -s shorn in the 
la st • column of Table 3. Only 23 pop cent of them r.lr ays use thu double precaut- 
ion, and 11 jx-r c uit of tham ahsr,; r the questions in such a v\y us to r*-is- dout 
as to whether they i.se any procnut "on t : 11, The f ct th t th y do h- ve very 
fre uont intercourse, th t the;, nr. mope likely t ) rp nothing, nd Ur t they 
have lo* or VD rate s p r 1.000 exposures indicate tint ■ uit-. f- v in this group 
prob. bly he ve mistresses, sweethearts, or girls they intend to nQrry. The men 
probably do not feel the nij j for elaborate pro; hy/laxir * it:i this typo of girl. 
From the above point of •i .r, the' men in Group: II and III rho h-.ve the 
vorst prophy lactic practices are at least as much •* concern to the Ar y and per- 
haps more so. • 
b. relation to VD. Conclusive st- tistir.s on th. superiority of one pro- 
phylactic ovoj noth.r \ o.uld be difficult to obtain, for it vould 
necessity to the keeping of personal r-;cords or diaries fc"’ thousands of ex- 
posures under oil the varying conditions ahieh confront th soldi, r. on this 
basis, a count could bo made of VD infections for the vara cue prophylactic 
procedures. Some of the problems \ ould bo: 
(1) T h t proportion of the’ no ien ven i,J'oct-• d? 
(2) Was th' vnlu-. of prophyu.:ocis aulxfim by foreplay or afterplay vith 
th g .nit is or b kissing, even though ; prophyl ctic vhs used? 
(3) Vas the prophy 1. actio coTcctly used'.’ 
In thw absence of mcr e conclusive data, the folio* ing table (Table 7) 
has be-oh prej r d-x > shd J the r i; t-one that Abstained'iihd>. f the relatively 
uncontrolled conditio s oi this study . The data h; ve three v’eaknessos th. t 
snould be borne in mini in i.iterprating the tables 
(1) It v s assumed th t n had th«- same • r.posure r te ja r month 
during nis entire stay in the Thv t r .ns he reported for the 3 months just 
prior to the study . This undoubted!* r. suits in an ov*,r-est invite of exposure, 
for it vdil be shot n 1 .tor th b the rate of se::u; 1 contact increased 1 ith time 
overseas. This ov> r-estim tends to loyxr < 11 the failure rates per 1000 
•exposures shr-n in Te bin 7, but,is not corrcctible vdtiout additional arbitrary 
assu ptions, 
(2) Although th man no uses an j r:;ve.i prophylactic, ho may not have 
done ao at the tin., he ras infected, and therefore the case of VD is not a 
failure o the a proved jrocedur . (More nail b. said later on thin.) 
(3) The man ar y h r/.. improp. rly used th prophy lactic, or nullified 
it’s effectiveness by kissing or other exposure. 
With these limitations in mine, it can still'be said th?1t the double pro- 
tection is clearly superior to any lesser measures: Tahiti 7 
VD infections pc r 1000 
eunosures 
ovt.rsv s 
Among men vho... 
V-hitoj Ell 
Negro Ela 
Al.vays use a rubber; Ivraj-s us-- a Pro-Kit 
2.3* 
3.fi 
Alvars use a rubber; l>:vys go to a Pro st tion 
2-6 
5.2 
a1'. ays us« a ruob-sr; au; cr xaa;; ;iot t--ke a Pro 
Alvay s take a Pro (Station or Kit), /any or may 
3-1 
7.2 
not use a rubber 
3.1 
11.1 • 
May use rubber. Pro St tun, Pro Kit, but have 
no set j.roceJura 
5,5 
11.3 
or . .aj not us- -.n; t uu . 
*' Bused ox; less than 1000 v osuros 
/: n 
13. P* 
The Hepro d,t< - re included i:i this tr.bl* (pen- rally th<y ‘/ill lx: found 
only in the supplement ., ?. p ::--t 1D2-.U-2) to shot tn. diff-i\ nc*- in the results 
of ucin-i state d rophyl otic procedures -lien th. suxu 1 cent; cts re made 
under different sets of ciic mist- ncen , Thv Ilefrro .1 r 1 cc so to tho i/oru.-n of 
Italy for sexual purposes, cut, as the th- :;ic. Ives point out, tiro hnve 
cent ct i ith only tn. least desirable voaon. Th , have. r.l tiv* ly no access 
to omen of the niddle no up c-r economic grou* s T ho prob bly- re much lor s 
infected then the typ of roman ,.o is • prostitute. Consequently, T hen 
prophylaxis fails, mechanic- lly or chemically, thr p-'o’s chances of infection 
.appear-.to he • bout double th t for white* K!'if cm < ssume th t both groups ’ 
use the t -chniques aoout cqu 11;. well. 
The possibility th t a man may have b tn usinp poor prophylaxis or.no pro- 
phylaxis at the tia-• h, *• e infect-.d v..s Mentioned aixm . I ' \v. is ;or usin,q 
the double precaution, hi 3 c sc of VD if not trujy chargeable to the category 
in wnich the tabu shows him id tho coi.ciusivenv as of to: d ta is therefore 
attenuated* While t ds i; re- 1 consid» ration, it cm »<«; shorn that thos-. 
men who h. vc nad VD a are still more lik iy to say th t they use ro- 
le tivdy p -or prophylactic me sur>. s (T hi-.. &) * Tills is support for th*. point 
of view that the previous p or propnylactic habits of ..any of th*. ..i< n are per- 
sistin'.-: Tcblo B 
Amo nr men who. 
Have net Have been 
had VD infected 
r report ion v.ho... 
overseas oversee s 
Always use a rubber AID, 
Alwaj s takw a Fro 
A52 
20/' 
Perhaps take a Fro 
2lj 
28 
Usually don't t i. Fro 
7 
5 
xl: .\ or ..my not use a rubber AND, 
Alray s, t< k i a Pro 
0 
11 
Perhaps take a Fro 
11 
2b 
Usually don't take a Fro 
1 
10 
Total 
100/3 
100? 
It has bet n shown that men ivhc use poor prophplaxir have, at least 2 or 3 
tines as much VD per 1000 • xposun s as icon who 
use the double- precc 
uition. It 
he s been shown, too, th t men with the poorest 
prophylactic h bits 
have roll- 
most frequent intercourse. As a result 
, they have accumulated much more 
VD durinr their overse t tour than It ve men with the best he bits (or at loast 
those men who report th t they nov take double 
precaution ) (Table 
8a): 
TV,bio ft. 
Per i 
cent reporting 
VD 1: 
afooti. ns 
Among men ho.. whiL 
oversea 
✓ 
s use <*. ruobcr; nitons use Pro Kit 
5% 
Always use a rubber; always go to a Pro station 
% 
Always use c. rubber; ma' or may ot take a Pro, 
Alvars take a Pro (Sta tion or Kit); ma or may not 
Yi% 
use a rubber 
13SS- . 
ill y use a rubber* Pro St.- tion. Pro Kit, but iic ve no- 
set procedure 
27% 
■la; or may not use ary thing 
35#** 
* Total tines infected divided tot 1 .an in group 
Be-sod oil only 56 cases c • Ignorance of techniquV* for using Pro-Kit. Among men who have had 
intercourse in Italt , 95 per cent sap the} know how tg use the Pro-Kit or V- 
Fackette correct Ip. Men., ho have had VD while overseas are as like Ip to say 
they know hon to use the kit a: other groups. It may be that they did not 
learn the correct technique until after co tracting VD, but this is not known. 
d. Inhere they ootain pro, h: lactic supplies. Three out o" four men s<-y 
0 ou can get prophylactic supplies at the orderly room or dispensary if you want 
them, indicating thct having a personal suj ply is generally a matter of choice. 
Only 12 per cent s<.r everane ..;ust n.-ve ongbefore ,ie goes on pass, as ahom below 
Table 9 
Question; "Ho*. 
1 ro- 
do the ...en in ; our outfit usually get rubbers or individual 
Kits or V-Fackettes?" 
ier CGxit saving. 
/ _ 
lou can get them at the orderly room or dispensary if , ou 
■v ant them 75/M > 
Everyone must have one oefore he goes on pass 12 
Get then at a Pro Station 5 
Buy them at the PX 3 
Pro-Kits or V-Packettes re not available t o ..on in my 
outfit 1 
Don’t , or Mo answer * U 
Total i<;0£ 
The proportions of j.-.en * ho say they must have a prophylactic supply before 
going on pass varies considerably by command * ith 3th Amy- combat trooj.'s 
much more likely to cmy a supply is prerequisite to a pass: 
Table 10 
1er cent 
in£ 
* sun !:■ 
must be 
' •. 4 
curried 
5th Array 
combat 
PBS 
& 
5th' Arn$r 
‘Service 
7% 
AAF 
2!% It is interesting to note t hot 5th Army combat troops, 'ho rap re frequently 
must. Gerry supplies, are a.l o lot qnt in number of infectious* dov/ever, they 
are also lovest i > frequeur if. ray ortei sexual contacts and in avers*, e length 
of tine oversea: , hich bee.. ud; the suspected e i'cctiveness of requiring a 
supply before yivirig.a .man .• pars. 
Evidence converges fro.i t o ot.ier angles, however, Ife..ding to a conclusion 
th.t there is . positive r-l.tich be tree n requiri;. a supply then issuing a 
pass and superior prophylactic practices: 
(1) lien v.ho say they must carry a supply are .... re likely pbo say they 
alvay s use a coado.i, or ta t tmy alloys use Iro-Kit, 
(2) ’ bhen the.various dlitary unit;, in tac survey'.vere divided into "lov", 
"mediitfal*, and “high" VD outfits on the basis of the number of cases of VI) report 
by the unit ai.rge.-ons• for the period January - hay 1%5, it ios apparent that: 
men in units x 1th lov VD rales x ore i.iore likely to say they had to 
egrry ’ a sup: If.1 hen or. pass. 
v;} ilen in unite * it’.i hi ,h VD rates ..ere ..lore ...ikely to ;:iy that a 
supply ras available if desired, or that they had to buy • th m in the PX. 
Even’if it should re true th: t sup lies need not be bought in I IDs, the 
fact th* a 3- per cent of th m n in the study t.ii-h.c that such is the only source 
of supply is; a point of /.is . ndormation th t cannot be dismissed-, Several men 
v.rote comments thr t they .«ere e.iU.rrassea to buy such supi lies frora the girl 
clerks in the FX. n pro ran of VD control cannot afford to hav< any men in a 
position ■'.here they find prophylaxis relatively unavailable, whether it be 
due to the FX as * source of • sup} ly or son- dispensary vhiah may te rtrmote from 
the orderly r-om or 1 hi 'h night require the use of precious pass tine i one her 
to voluntarily seek it out before going on pass. 
Requiring men to c* rry prophylactic sup lies hod no observable relation 
.vith the frequeue; vith ■'•hich they report sexual cont cts. rfh*y have neither 
tore nor less th5 n those -. ho .re not re mired to c rry a supply. 
e, Finding a Pro St •tion. 9 a i r cent of the men pho have intercourse 
say they can clff f.f. or usually if!-id a Pro fetaion easily in the city: nearest their 
outfit. The .to ,t skijqrity V71%:) depone on signs to point the ■'■ay’. These men 
and those ho consult the I ro Station list on their unit bulletin board are 
' especially, likely to ' s< they c . n easily find a fro St tion. A third group 
(only 8%), v;ho depend on . 3’s for directions, - re ranch leu-, likely to say 
they can easily find Pi*o t tat ion. All in AIR, finding a Pro Station is no 
gre et problem among the men, 
f • Reasons for not usin-. condoms. The . miher one, reason in a wide variet, 
or reasons why men do not use condoms is that it takes the pleasure out of inte; 
course. In rehouse to the question, 11 .re there any reasons \ R„ you vuuld not ut 
a condom (rubber;”, they say: 
”Yes, most G.I, rubbers are so d. ..in thick you can’t enjoy yourself,” 
”les, because it cuts direct contact with your partner.” 
”Ies, they are too much tr uble and I don’t enjoy my money ’s worth,” 
■”A condom reduces the feeling of exhilaration.” Others dis us. the ..on '.om 1 ith a variation on a tvise-crack to the effect 
that us in.: a motor is like: (l) goin svia ling in a r. mco« t or overcoat, 
(2) \ ashii\, one.4' feet *-ith shoes on, or socks on, ('J J taking c. Lath vith boots 
on, or svjLjrain. suit on, (a; or jinking the piano ith gioves on. 
-men s-y the condom hurts or causes Mechanical abr asions, for instance? * 
"In lost cases, a condom causer sores; it1:: irritabl , that is in a case 
there it1; used frog ne ,tly ." 
Another recurnri- cu.}.laint is that a condom and its use nu kes an aes- 
thetically ugly situation. l ot omy the men, but so i,e i omen do not i ant the 
intrusion of condo^-adyjustii.< in the situation: 
"Se:; isn!t beaut if-.1 e- ri;^:; a rubber," 
"Some io.afc.i on’t let -n use them and it hapfene to me,11 
S .me men point out tn t th- y won't use‘them for religious reasons; 
"Because it is a*2an. at ■.]$ religi,nn," 
"lian vasn’t made in the begimiing to use them." 
Thfre is a vide sc ’.tcrn.ng of other masons, such as the folloving. 
"At ’tiroes I!v • rc used . ore than one ru her at a I re-Station," 
"G.I, condo.is '.re no ;-o.y. nnlf of the i ust unyva; . Try cno sometime," 
"Keeps my j ,-nis fro-i getting hard enough." 
"I can't go off as quick •"ith a rubber." 
"lane comes off most of the tl> an; hov before I can my intercours- . 
"Takes too . v ch time to put on on." 
"Too lazy 
"I rouldn’t use one if I could get to a I ro f.te.ti- n i imemiately ," 
"a new dru. is out, taken internally , vhich is usually effective* in killing 
gems uni-h cause gor.orrhe ..; used oy the .-.r. c ," 
"Condoms are rationed to us so . ou cannot get all you no d --t tines." • 
At another point in the quot* ionnairo, on man offi-.r; d a point of advice 
for felloe soldiers and a su e-;e5 tion for improving condo. is: 
, • "All men 1 bor end a the i.. -reasion th t If no disease ivenereal) shovs 
uj vithin too or three weeks fter latere mrse, they' are vit. out disec.se, 
I v\>u-d li :e t;ns fallacy to be impressed on ev ry soldier's ..and. I co. 
trseted sy ] hilis und mo sy my toms apj cored until ten (10) tucks after 
intercourse, 1 thi k condoms should be made and furnished in smaller siz 
i>$ penis is sm 11, ily vann't d disease resulted beenusethe condom Ccunu 
off." g, Reasons for not going to Pro St ~tian. Ono of the no in reasons why 
non "would not go to a Pro Station” is because they don’t think it is necessary 
or tirt a pro is futile. Typical comments are: 
"I consider a condom sufficient protection. If it should break I would 
take a pro.” 
"I feel that if I catch anything drugs won’t stop it any," 
"I don’t think it’s n cessary if ycu get out of bod 'rd wash with plenty 
of soap and water ons use a rubber," 
Another frequently mentioned reason is that the curfew catches then short 
of tine, especially if they are spending the night ("shack job") with the girl: 
"Cn a shack job, curfew will not allow no on the streets after 2300 hours 
which is usually prior to contact,” 
Going into a Pro Station or lining up in front of it, causes sufficient 
embarrassment for some non to cause then to say they would not use a Pro St^ti 
"I vjould be ashamed to walk in one, mainly because they usually have quite 
a few men in them," 
"I use V-pack, It is less embarrassing to me. Too much publicity to Pro 
Station*" 
Some men fear alleged consequences 'hen Pro slips are returned to their 
outfits: 
"Names arc taken and returned to outfits, where man is due for a bust," 
"In my outfit the pro slips are sent down to the Orderly Room whore they 
may bo checked on, Tint’s badl" 
"Yes, in my outfit they look at it as if turning in a* pro slip was a crime,1 
"They take your name and enter it on the Service Record," 
Physiological reasons, whether fact or myth, are frequently offered by thos 
who would not use c Pro Station: 
"It might make you sterile," 
"Because I can’t take n pro, it causes a rash, prostate trouble," 
"Yes, sometimes the calomel ointment severely irritates the foreskin and 
head of penis," 
"Too many times might prevo harmful," 
Others object to the sanitary conditions of soriw Pro Stations or to the 
treatment they reccivo’ in then: 
"If it is as unsanitary ns ono I saw in Rome one , run by civilian employee 
"Yes, in cases where the equipment might not be kept clean at all times," 
"They don’t give a damn - in Rome .1 had to give myself one with no as- 
sistance and didhtt know correct procedure," Sono miscellaneous raisons "Iso -given aror - 
"Some casos I hrvo get :.iy chewed out Whon I went to tho Pro Station," 
"At prosent, yes, because this outfit will only honor their own Division 
pro slips," , . h 
"Sometimes it is - too f ".r," ‘:r • •• 
"Booausp the to-/n I usu lly go to 41~s Pro Station,” 
"It tokos tho on joynont out of it for me," 
"A pro is kind of messy," • ■ ‘ v ■ 
"If I know tho girl well °nd lcnoT sho k.pt herself clean and I never caught 
. anything from hor," 
’Nobody’s .business who. I have had intercourse with," 
r *• • 
h. Reasons for not using a Pre-Kit. Tho naior reason for not using a Pre 
Kit or V-Packotte is that a visit to' tho Pro Station makes thor.i unnocossary. 
Brt among non who* comment directly on Pro-Kits, there are certain sharp at- 
titudes of dislike, Fear of self-injury looms strongest in tho minds of non whe 
don’t liko tho Pro-Kits or V-Paokottos. 
"Yes, I was told by a doctor that using thorn will make you-sterile." 
"T ho salve.that is injoctod up tho penis causes irritation for about 4 
days," 
"Tho old typo is torture. It should bo discontinued," 
"I don’t trust tho V-Packette, T hoy usually cause a lot more injury’than 
good," . * 
"T.hey bum lilco; hell, so I would rather go to* a Iro Station or the non'rost 
nodical unit," 
. Many of thoso who won’t uso the Pro- Kits suspect the value of tho Kit as r 
prevontativo; 
’ "Hqv; does ono know when it was manufactured? It might bo sour when you at- 
tempt to use ito" 
"Sono Pro-Kits issued here have boon proven ineffective because of deterioi 
tion of the contents - I would not rely on ono," 
"I wouldn't depend on it and would uf } it only as an emergency measure," 
"It’s a nuisance and I*ve hoard from doctors that it is not very effective. 
Sono find tho Pro-Kits mossy and hard on their clothing; 
’’None, except that it is kina of messy," 
"Bad on tho pants," 
Miscellaneous reasons, some of-which are not objections to the kits but 
aro associated, are thoso: ' > 
"Yos, it’s against tho law of God," 
"In a case if I thought tho girl was 0,K," 
"I don’t uso a V-Pac or take a pro because I think a rubber is sufficient 
"Because I night not do a thorough' job of prevention," 
*T hov are hard to obtain," 'W 
i. Reasons for not using "Sulfa” pills. Thj non were asked, "Are there 
any reasons why you would not use ’Sulfa’ pills (Sulfadiazine Pills) to help you 
keep fron getting a venereal disease?5’ The most frequent response indicated 
that the non had a fear of self-nodication: 
’’Self-treatment is never -very good..” 
* ”You should only use then when a doctor orders you to use then.” 
Closely allied are cements to the effect that :,sulfa” is a dangerous 
drug for various reasons, whether correct or fancied: 
•”Yos', they make no very sick.” 
• "Yes, if they would make no break out like they do sene soldiers." 
”1 don’t believe they are good for your system if nothing is ivrong with 
you o ” 
"I use than but in the wrCoig hands they can be very dangerous, con- 
form kidney block.” 
"Sulfadiazine pills are vary Iv'rd on the kidneys and also crystalizc the 
bladder," 
”T hoy slow down your heart too much.” 
"I an allergic to then, they almost kill ne," 
Some non doubt the wisdom of using ’’sulfa" for venereal disease. They say* 
"I have boon told that it doesn’t cure you altogether, that it only stalls 
it Off," * * 
”Thoy my hide any sign of the disease.” 
"Sulfa pills do note prevent a venereal disease all the tine.” 
"Those pills are to bo used as a cure, and not as a preventative." 
Others fear that use of "sulfa” will build up an inaunity to ’’sulfa” 
troatnent which will bo regretted; 
”It is 0,Kc to use ’sulfa’ if you aren’t going Into conbnt soon. If you 
go into combat "ftor taking quite a bit of sulfa your body may not re- 
spond to sulfa treatment of a wound. ” 
”1 don’t care to use them too much, because I may build up an immunity to 
sulfa,” 
Mon on flying status frequently mentioned that flight surgeons restrict 
the use of ’’sulfa" for flyers: 
’’Only when on flying status. Pro Stations are directed not to give thorn 
x to flying personnel.” 
"Not now but when wo wore flying, wo wore not permitted to use sulfa prior 
to high-altitude flights," 
, Some other comments that recurred are: 
"If plenty of water wasn’t available I wouldn’t use thorn." 
”1 don’t like to take 8 pills every tine you got layod, four aru all right 
but the 88th gives 8 of them." 
"T hey were novm given to us — until a man actually caught it," 5. Soldier Information About VD, 
f * 
Porhaps tho non who expose thonsblvos. frequently hro ignorant of tho basic 
facts-about VD, If_ such a relation can bo established, the Arny educational 
program for VD night bo directed toward supplying tho needed information. How- 
ever, tho following data indicateethat tho sexual habits and practices of tho 
non cannot be traced to a lack of information of the kind tested in this survey, 
a. Scores on information tost. The fact is that half of tho white Eli got 
xsithor 6 or 7 questions correct on a 7 question VD tost that was included in tho 
questionnaire. Ninety per cent of tho non got at least 4. questions right, Tho 
questions, 5 of which wore niilitpic choice qnd 2 free answer, are given below 
with the percentage'’ of non answering correctly: 
(1) "Which disease causes a yellow, creamy pus to cone out of- tho 
penis?" (90$ chocked gonorrhea) 
(2) "Which disease'nay cause insanity?" (89$ chocked syphilis) 
(3) "If a condom (rubber) is used, is it also necessary to toko a 
Pro?" (87$ chocked yes) 
(4) "How soon should a soldier tako a "Pro" after sexual intercourse . 
for tho "Pro" to do any good?" (87$ wrote in either 1 or 2 hours) 
(5) "Which disease causes a sore on the penis?" (02$ chocked syphilif 
(6) (a) "Have you ..board or road about the now drug (penicillin) tin 
is being used to treat .venereal disease?" 
(b) "So for as you know can it cure all cases of gonorrhea and 
syphilis?" (50$ chocked "yes" to (a) and "no" to (b), which was considered tho 
only correct combination. It is interesting to note that another 22$ of tho ncr. 
said that penicillin can cure all cases of VDc The remainder said they did not 
know,) 
(7) "If a soldier is going to have sexual intercourse, why is it bac 
to "shack up" for all night?" '(49$ wrote in an answer to tho effect that it’s 
because you dnn?t tako a "Pro", or because you don’t, a "Pro" in tine to do 
any good; All other answers were considered incorrect, such as; because you’re 
careless, excessive exposure, more likely to get VD, etc. Since sono of those 
rejected answers, especially tho answers that one exposes himself excessively 
VD, have considerable merit, it con bo said that the scoring was done on a rig- 
orous basis). The proportion of white EM getting each number of questions correct is as 
fellows (Table 11): 
Table 11 
All 7 correct 
IS/o 
6 correct 
33 
5 correct 
29 
4 correct 
* 
10 
3 correct 
6 
2 correct 
2 
1 correct- 
1 
0 correct 
1 
Total 
loo^ 
It is clear that the men have a fairly good grasp o? sono fundamental facts 
about VD. Big tost merely samples the total information they have about VD, it 
is true, for it is obvious that many other questions could bo'asked about how to 
put on or take off a condom, the contents and use of Pro-Kits, the possibility o 
telling uninfected girls from infected ones by mere outward inspection, etc. Sc 
far as these seven questions are a sample of the facts which the men ought to k 
know, it can bo said that the VD educational program of the Army is efficient. 
It is doubtful if recruits or civilian males could do nearly as well as these 
overseas veterans on this tost, although comparable scores are not available, 
b. Relation of information to frequency of intercourse and VD, It is in- 
teresting to note that: 
(1) Mon who expose themselves most frequently (G roup IV) score as 
high on the information test as those who have infrequent sexual int orcourso oi 
none at all (no difference g neater that 3 per cent in the proportion in each 
group that got 6 or all 7 answers correct). 
(2) Mon who have had VD overseas score at least as high as those who 
have not (only 2 per cent difference in the proportion getting 6 or 7 answers 
correct), . • 
' (3) Mon in units which had relatively high VD rates for the five 
month; period, January - May 1945, score at.least as high hs units that had the 
lowest rates-;(only 4 per cent difference in the proportion getting 6 or 7 answe: 
correct)• 
If we take-the view that the men who score as low as 0, 1, 2, or 3 are th< 
men to worry about, and analyze the data for them, the same story emerges; the 
men who expose themselves frequently and those who have had VD overseas know at 
least as many right answers to the tost as other men* ' If the Army wishes to 
change the sexual habits of its men, pouring more information about VD into the.' 
does not seem to bo the answer, _ c, Relation, of Inforrntlrn scores to specific snx_ habits or practices. 
Although information scores and frequency of intercourse or VD overseas show no 
direct relations, it is possible that certain specific habits or practices are 
tied to lack of knowledge, 
' I' 
"Shacking up" all night, for instance, is a practice that is said by modica 
authorities to bo a sourco of excessive VD, This is duo to tho fact th~t many o 
tho non do not take a Pro or fail to take it soon enough after tho exposures, 
which may be multiple. Their answers to a specific question on "Shacking up" 
show that man in threo among those who have intercourse in Italy say that • 
they sonotincs or usually "Shack up" all night (T able 12): 
Table 12 
Question: "When you have sexual intercourse with a girl over hero, do you 
usually "shack up" all night, or just stay for a short tine?" 
Per cont-spying thoy... 
Among those v?ho have 
had intercourse in Italy* 
Usually "shack up" all night 
CO 
Sonotimas "shack up" all night, 
sonatinas just stay a short timo# 
25 . ' . ■*/' 
*.• Usually str.y just a short T.ino 
67 
Total 
loo^ 
* 73 per cent of the total 
‘ Mon who knew nil tho answers* including tho ono on the folly of "shacking 
up", aro just about as likoly to "shack up" as tho non who didn’t know tho answc 
as shewn in Table 13: 
Thblo 13 
- ■* '. . 
Among non who... 
"Sometimes " 
"Qsuolly 
• ‘ . 
or ?,usunlly 
stny just a 
Por cont getting*.• 
shock up" 
short tine" 
All 7 nnswors correct 
18$ 
19$ ' • 
6 correct 
31 
30 * 
5 correct 
35 
33 
0 - 4 correct 
* 
15 
18 
Totnl1 
100$ 
100$ Ono of thoso non who says that ho "shacks up” and who has a perfect Inform 
tion-tost score explains his thinking on tho natter and offers his solution: 
MA nan is going to havo soxual intorcoursoj regardless of prico or danger t 
health, and at loast half of tho non in Service Companies have •’Shack jobs 
My opinion is that Italian girl is going to bo truo to ono G.I, A mar 
after ho has been with .a woman so 1'ng, will disregard all procautions* 1 
other words he thinks ho*s got hor • sowed up, * Ho forgots tho rubbor and 
Pro and just lias there and lets it soak. In the meant in o while ho is ' 
working sho is doing the smo thing with others, GIs probably as1 woll as 
civilians; soon he has VD and wonders hew ho got it. My suggestion is as 
long as a G, I. is going to havo his woman why canft tho Army have regular 
doctors whoro ho can havo her examined onco a day or as often as needed.r 
In like manner it can bo shown that thoso who scoro lowest and theso who 
score highest are about equally likely to say: 
(1) That they always or usually use a condom, 
(2) That they always or usually go to a Pro-Station 
(3) That they always or usually uso a Pro-Kit, 
At first glance, there is something extremely discouraging about the data c 
information just presented. If .men who know the most and non who know tho leas 
go out equally frequently in search of intercourse, and if thoso who know the 
most do not have better prophylactic practices than thoso who know tho least, ±i 
might look as though the educational program about VD has boon a waste of tine 
and effort. Such a conclusion, however, is not warranted for several reasons, 
(1) To bo conslusive; such a statement would need to bo based on a 
controlled experiment. Suppose* for example, it wore possible to take two simi 
lar infantry divisions, give one th.e Armyfs VD educational program and give tho 
other nothing. If both divisions saw tho same kind of service in tho same huma; 
population (say central Italy). then differences in VD rates would be indeed 
traceable to differences in tho effect of tho educational program, unless it 
could be shown that other factors were intruding, 
(2) It is quito likely that the facts of prophylactic procedures are 
simple that almost any man who is intelligent enough to bo in the Army can gra5p 
tho techniques - "wear a rubbor; take a Iro,T - and know when to use thorn. At tkk. 
some time they may not bo able to toll equally woll why they do what they do. 
(It is true that men with a bettor education mqdo higher scores on tho informa 
tion test.) But because the techniques'are simple and because they have boon 
taught over and ov er again'in tho Amy, with talcs of dire personal conse- 
quences for failure to hoed, the failure of some men to use prophylactic proccd 
urds cannot be traced to lack of basic information. 6, Attitudes Toward The VD Educational Program 
An important problem arises as to whether the'men are weary of tho constant 
lecturing on VD, Perhaps certain important groups,,such as those who have fre- 
quent intercourse or who have had VD think the present program is ineffective 
in some way. It is possible that tho men want certain information which they 
are not getting. Those problems are discussed in this section, 
a. Attitudes toward VD talks or movies, Tho majority of non endorse tho 
VD educational program* They say that the last talk or movie was very good or 
fairly good, even though 83 per cont of these white 3M have boon in tho Army 2 
years or more and have surely scon or ho'rd tho material many tines over, Tho 
two questions usod to sound out indifference or dislike of the Amy VD program 
aro shown in Table 14: 
Table 14 
Question: "What do you think of tho last movie you saw on sex hygiene and 
venereal disease?" 
m.7hat do you think of tho last talk or lecture you hoard on sex 
hygiene and venereal disease?" 
Proportion snying. 
lie via 
To He or 
Locturo 
Very good 
44fo 
36fo 
ihirly good 
27 
30 
So-so 
17 
' 20 
Ihirly poor 
1 
3 
Vory poor 
5 
6 
I don11 ron Gabor. or No nnswor 
6 
5 
Totol ' 
100^ 
loo^T 
T ho two forms of presenting VD nr, tor in 1 ere about equally well liked by 
all the men in the study* Analysis by sub-groups shows no important difference 
in reaction among those who have frequent intercourse, infrequent intercourse, 
or no intercourse at all in Italy, The group'that has no intercourse (Group X) 
is interesting in this respect, since from one point of view, they do not need 
VD lectures at all* Perhaps the movies and talks serve to reinforce their de- 
cision to remain continent. 
Some non voluntojrod comments for improving VD talks: 
"Keep up short and to-tho-point talks on VD by very good doctors for ed- 
ucation on the subject," 
"I have heard only one interesting VD lecture since ITve boon in tho Army 
All the shows, pictures, and other lectures were terrible. All they do ; 
take tho worst cases and try to scare tho hell out of tho fellows. This 
one lecture was given by a Captain of tho Medics and he told us actual 
facts about the average rof cases, Tho whole company was enthusod ov 
v his lecture." "Tho danger of VD is net expressed deeply enough, Every soldier gets tired 
of a dry lecture about VD after has hoard two cr more, Tho lectures we 
hoar are by officers that aren’t well educ'tod an the subject. More movi., 
on' every-day cases and less demonstrations on how to uso a condom." 
b0 Frequency of talks or movies on VD, The gro~t majority (93$) of tho me 
report that they aro still hearing talks or seeing movies on VD every 6 months, 
(It nay be that some of tho 7 por cent who report nr no victor talks in tho las* 
6 months have forgotten about it.) At least 20 por cent of these men say they 
sec a movie or ho'r a talk not loss than once a r.nnth (T-blo 15): 
Table 15 
Question: "Curing the past 6 months, how many movies on sox hygiene nnd venor- 
oal diseases have you soon?" 
the past 6 months, hew many talks by officers or nonegns hav 
you heard about venereal diseases?” 
Proportion saying..• Movie 
"None 25# 
Talks 
10# 
One or two . 51 
43 
Three to five 17 
27 
Six or more 6 
20 
No answer 1 
Total ... 100^ 
* 
100^ 
Loss than half of 1 por cent 
Whilo tho majority approve of movies .and talks on VD, thoro is always a 
danger of dwelling on the subject too much, A fov; men volunteered comments'- 
indicating this., but t’ ey aro not at all common: 
"Another criticism I have is that there’s too much talk on VD and I bo- 
liovo it’s driving tho non. so they don’t give a damn. Shouldn’t harp 
on VD so often* 
m.7hon you spoak of VD thon you got my dandor up. In tho first placo you 
toss it at us ovary so aft on and as if wo were a bunch of kids, Somo of 
tho officers hand you tho same nld crap time and timo again. Making the 
act of intercourse cf stolon swoot. Hell, two of the times I knocked off 
a hunk was because of that, I believe ir you c uld lay out a program 
and uso it correctly once you c uld got your point over a lot bettor. 
Make tho men soo it isn ?t smart cr necessary, but don’t harp on tho 
subject all tho time," c. Trlks. i.;ovies information scores. It i.»ight be suspected that those 
men who made the best scores on the T.) inform tion test h.*,d been exposed to 
more Wxks anu films in recent mouths, or th* t the' like th* m better, riovever; 
(1) ..en vno make the oest scores on the VD information test have not 
seen more fiL.s or he«rd tore t.jlks on VI) in t.ie last 6 months than other men, 
(2) ken v-ho mcke the nest scores n the VI) information test are not 
more likely than other ien to s<r the talks or films are good, It seems un 
likely that scores can be improved an-reciably at this stage of the men’s Army 
careers by movies and talks given more frequently than once every 6 months. 
d. Talks, movies, and fre ueac: of intercourse. There is no evidence that 
frequent talks and movies obout VD cut down the number of sexua 1 exposures on 
the part of these' overseas men. If an thing, there vac some evidence to shov- f 
those ten who sen the most VO movies are more likely to oe the men who he ve thr 
most sexual coatact (Table 16): 
Table 16 
• r* 
Frequency* of intercourse • • • 
Three or 
more 
a month 
Number of VD movies seen 
in last six. months* None in Italy 
Twice a manth 
or less 
N«ne 30 
. 55 ■, 
f 
15 
L 1 
One 1 2ft 
55 j 
' 
Two .! 25 54 
DO 
Three or more 24 
t—.— — * 
, 
52 , I 24 “| 
r ■ ' I ■ ■ : * ’■ . . 4 .... V 1 Tae onl; safe int r» ret- tion of this chart ir th t merol; vie'lap nore 
caaci more VD - tovies does not cut dova the fre'n.eadj- vith v hi h o-c rre.s men ex- 
pose themselves to VD. 
The d tc for tc.l .p or lectures h: j this SiXie trend,, vhich sup ortc the no- 
tion th t neithe. one cuts th- exposures. 
e. Talks, ..ovies hi: VI;. ’hen vhite units nre divide i into lov, medial, 
and ..itJh on the Oasis of reported VD rates fo • the period January - .a.; , 1913, 
no difference.1 are foun m the attitudes of the men tovard the talks or 
movies j* e<;ual i report,cus of ell three ;ro ; s s.r the; like the.... There \ as 
some evidence th t tne rou] ’• i a the hi, nest reporterd VD r te is no* seem • 
iiore VD films tin.a the other, out tuis ma; tc due to co..pan;. polic; as the re- 
sult of tiic high rates, Ccmot be sai ; -t the loi or rates of the oust unite 
is du to the rco tc.r nua r of film or talks to ’.inch thr are cu fected. 
f. Dgsire or iiJTc. Urn. L::ac,l. iialf of th- men felt that the;, kno' -1. 
the; need to nnca uaout VD nr uc\ to keep f 'om go ting it. uimt 13 per c- at 
sermusi; douuted tnei k ; 1 dpe of the fact.* and i r c dure? of rror h; laxis 
(Tacit 17); 
Table 17 
Question; "Do ;o;i taluk , ou k..o’ ak umch as ; ou nee" to la.m ut venereal 
diseases . nd uo* o keep fro*, getti . * them?" 
I rorortioi; so; 
• 
Ves, I k-.o'. ev r t f, I 
nt-;ed to knc:*; 
50£ 
' cs, t ;ourh inert. iro o 
kiiO\ th> t I d n’t k.ir. 
fev things I need to 
35 
• No, th.ro i. « it 
I do .’t ki.o1 
I need to .o’. th:.t 
IT 
jo, i knot al ost not .in 
; «■ bout it 
1 
l.o a us’ -r 
*> 
Tot d 
Furth r ..anl; r is suo c> th. t: 
(1) . .t*; a ith the lc ..t £ cores (U-»j oa iiSor tion tc v t : i\ iust *n- c 
fidont of their ... n.lt-d c out VD •iit 11 '> in .1 d< pc 'fact scores, 
(?) *iU * \ no a. vv st ; a t ;’cuiu’i v i It 1, arc so..u \ h t more 
to sc.; th* ; me • . ta ; a to , .o\. t h« i. me.. ho h ve i t< muo .rs- 
( lOOUt 13 ; ct nt 11 1 . c. \ j. 
(3) . a 'ho Uuvc not he?f •’:! ovuvse.: c.rt sa.*c hit .it likely to m; th ; 
kno'. chou, ,h &i'Oui VI) bout 11 per cu nt c;i 'ft* nee The figures re suf ficicntly alik.: to i e :u .it the conclusi on’,that none of 
the so c.bev-- i-v nil .od sub- vou-r is p- rticularl; concerned \ iih locrmnr ..lore 
c:bout VI), The;' !Oit't ‘bo.j.c4 -to t ht t.J.ks o;* movies, the.’;, arc riuch alikeain the 
extent to vhich th*. y re su cted to t Iks or movies, end they fat 1 that the; 
kno enough about the situation. 
■ • Thvre.ie no strikin evidence in tin data on : ith- r information scores or 
the Ar«\vt! I'D o-iucotioii pro, r**m to indie tc i iportt nt d ''ici* .-ri.'- i , Hov.-tvor, 
any intc rj «rt tation th.t the ;..cn kao’ enough of the f> ct a bout VD sn 1 th; t the 
Ana; Cc.n therefor: dispins- ith its present program is entire ly spcculc tivo so 
far as these data are core erne I. The;, do not pur re* t that might happen to VD 
ratos if the.present pro.-nan of presentin. the f.-.cts. over enl ov r again arc 
abandoned, 
The ren tholuielves split on tnu desirability of further education. For 
instance, here, i ,'t. t\ o voir. at ary co.—i* nts:* hero oar m n.thinks the nrmy VI) 
j rorrau sho--lc.be in roved \ hilc uautixor \ rites the t at this stage of tin gmie, 
it is a iOein s oun fault i he , v_ts . disease: 
;iIt sot-jis a little it „ to It; doing this. The nr definitely is . ot frail 
enough \ ith its discussions, fi.-.s, book!* ts, tc on VD. If it x.oulri co...c 
out ‘ itn aotu- 1 y notes, cite C-*scs in films of the r- s .Its of VD and, us 
I said, be frnik. end in a t.nile th /.ruy h s pictures but they’re ran 
and tiuy ’re put in 1 ro Slot ions in some dark corn r an' th.y do no one a 
dum bit o; roo . n ts stop t is x isliyashy a titude end g-. t do\ a to 
earth j jj- a chan e, • 
"I ioi e fro. i the i for,action I .i Vi iv n ; on that y ou can so*, hox I feel 
towuv this sexu 1 tar tour sc business b-.t lo ... it is, ne of those 
tnings tn .t .;i n ' . ot regardless * nd - feel th< r< _s no iif.ra done if a 
person ccepr ms lie. c nci t ker tin driving c asy than tal: s 
* before ahe..d 1 ith it. i don’t rant to brer but I haven’t yet had < 
venereal disease <-.uc I h< ve nut little ft., r of it as I f* el that 1 k .ov. 
hov to tal; c rtf of r s-1. aid l\ opinion is th- if ar\vone gets it it is 
his ovn f; alt.” 7. n. ck round 1.. ■ .r. .sc i.. halves. 
Sie.ce the e; ucatlbn pro. r.-n se* is to be it irl; e ficier.t in getting in- 
fora. tic . ut "D to the if ..ot in eljLJLis. tin VD, th se-.-.rch for relation- 
ship turns to tn t: engrou • o ' ; ro lev.. It i; recognised the t the ar..x c. n 
do ..oth..*, . • jut cart, at of thes-r- f«, 2tors such ns a uan's c e, r- lirion, or .v-ri- 
tal stc.tus, ..ut. infer —- t .ai it these factors is .ssential to .nderstinging 
the prcbie.;. it., .men t.. r-.v.p is f ced, dert in other h-ckground f.- ctorr. .re 
...ore directl; r late : to 1 a1 *.r.v (*• eer, s ;ch ar mile or grade, tine in 
htj* , .i.ie overrrer s, co ..r t e>.; eri*. nec, etc,, ar... a:> refer lore closel’ con- 
nects' nth poll;. . 
/ 
a, ..ant. 1 st tur. Tvo out of thre< nen in inis st 1; are si.igleS/ : 
Tanle It 
Single 
06/u 
li.rri.ec 
no child 
ren 
15 
lu.rrio ■: , 
ith chi 
Id *en 
•> r 
j-j 
ivl 1 ot he rs (diver 
ced, separated. 
v.idc1 c. 
, or c 
;.nsv'f r) 
u 
Total 
vyj 
ith .-•egard to fre u- ic of sexual interoo rs« in It 1; , there are no 
differences beir-een ..uirne i men ith children ' n' r rried aen without •hiidren. 
lha* e 1 turevia r.di: fere, .or bcti oen the single icn an i the narrie ■ non, however, 
".ith the iiic.rrae i on ;a ch .ere likely to s ; thcr h-.ve abstained 'from intercom's 
It should be noted ■ n *t t ic of .. oth single an a; rried nen report inter 
course i.. Ital; (Table i9): 
Table IV 
Frs-Cuenci: of. i. .te rcoursc 
Single 
men 
married, 
l.o children 
I'lEmed, . 
\ ith childre 
in It 
V 
LjO% 
loO/? 
100% 
I. 
Lone at, all 
fL"l 
1—1 
1 ! 
1 i 
! 40 1 
U : 
L- 
II. 
Less than ones a month 
[22 ! 
! 19 j 
! 
19., 
.HI. 
Once or t’ ice a month 
i35 i 
i 28 1 
27 
Li 
! Ji 
113.J 
13 
IV. 
Three or more tlf.es a month 
r 
21 i 
1 1 
a/ These are exactly the sane proportions as reported for the Theater 
ACJ-0 2 per cent sample statistics. although the iifferencet ere ’not 1 rq., incense r 1. tively fev men h..ve 
had VD, *the foil tin. title 20) in iic r es tn t u rried ion vith children 
ha\*e hob least VO i.nile ov .sees, On the other hand, single n i married a-n do 
not differ much in thv proportion reporting VO at some time in th- i • lift.s 
Tabic 20 
iufen ilic report 71) infection 
Sin, ;ic 
il 
. i... rriod, 
no children 
ferried, 
vith chilire. 
Oversees (so it. iru o "eon miectcd 
] reviousl; ) 
% 
2£ 
In civilian or g risen life; not 
oversets 
6 
P 
9 
.kt no t:L *e 
Pt> 
*2 
pQ 
Total , 
100£ 
100f, 
£ 
& 
Ac the ti c fore :om t- :l3 shov', bein'* married is associated \ ith less 
frequent illicit intercourse- tnJ * 1th. less 70 anon;; overseas men. 
b. Religious be. clyrou. A. T* o qua: tie ns ■>'v re aske i about religious back- 
ground, (li) fb-.re ; ou a church mcmeber*’’11 (; es, no) and (h) "’.Jhether ; ou are a* 
church aoaty r or rot, do ou consid r i ourself,.., (Catholic, Jevish, Frotes- 
tant, Oth-r). Tie men c. n be classified'thus (Taole 21): 
Table 21 
Church 
1 Ion-Church • 
vie n vhO cons id-., r themselves.. • 
. id .iters 
nt Titers 
Total 
Frotcstant 
20/3 
6lg . 
•Catholic x 
, 28 
5 
33 
•: Jevish 
’ 
a! 
U 
Other, ana IJo aas* .r 
1 
1 
O 
-4 » 
r7QC 
- ,V/G 
28% 
, 
The i urn vno are enure i member are somcvim t .lore inclined, to* c-rd abstinence 
(difference of lob ~ se T-bic 22) , ■ out it s.idulu be observed that, the majorit; 
of noth groups h- ve i.rb rcoursv; in It: . * T- * CO 
X c* Oi.' • / „ 4 - 
- 
Churcho 
Mon-Churcn 
Frequency of intercourse in 
Hei.bcrs 
members 
Itall••• 
IL-O/o 
100$ 
f 
—, 
J 
! ' 
• I. Mono tit all 
(30 1 
(20 
4 f- — 
1. 
} 
« 
II. Less than once‘a month 
22 » 
♦ i 
{20 
f 
—• 
hi 
■ s 
III, Once or tvice a month 
;30 ?' 
t 
;39- 
♦ 
i 
i— 
XV. Three or more tines a month 
lip 
ir l 
121 
( 
L ... . 
Tha cn2f reliable difference o; rtlig: us ..undership or preference is be- 
tT-a.cn the rrbnoruio . of Protestant church moml tf af no.-church members, vith 
13 per cent ... re of th adaU 3PS so.; ing t no; h ve been cent ire " lilt in Aai; . 
There’ere too iVv J*u s (onl;- 6£) in the sample- to po .lit relinbl- co;marisons, 
but inspect ion of the d-. t *docs ret indie to trv-t the; .night be striakingli 
different in fr .qutnc; of so mai coat ,-ts (Tail - 23;* 
Table: 23 
FrotrC slant 
Ca 
tiioli 
Churc 
h I Jo n~ Church 
Chur cp. 
Lo. 
.-Church i 
.ii 
Fre quenc; 
of intercourse 
iu. -m.be rs 11' mber 
S 
Leilb 1* 
i i.0 li 
s levs 
HI Italt ... 
10 c&. 
ICC# 
100/, 
icx# 
IOC# 
r 1 
' 
t 
I. 
Lone at. all 
1 33 
f 1 
2° I 
1 
|26 
- t 
i 
i 
21 i 
■ 1 
b "i : 
i 
1 
F 
11. 
Less than once 
■ 21 
r— - 
O | 
iU.. 
23. 
22 
- - 
22 
a :nonth 
• 
r 
III. 
Cnee or tv ice 
a month 
1.30 
37 
I 
34 
1 
39 
or 
I-—- 
40 
r/. 
Three or mcrp 
times a ..onth 
liti hr 
.. 11 
i 
1 
1 
! 
h' - 
t17 
fu: 
LI 
| 
Church in embers r port v 7C infections in tn ,;ir lifetime then do 
non-church members (1T$.versus with 7 por c int of church members report- 
ing infections overseas ns against 10 por cent for ro -church members. cj 
£/ Note; Throughout this section, the -.injor part of t.hj reporting'.; is chiefly 
in tarns of frequ vney of intorcourso rather than in terms of the resulting VTr* 
As shown jorlior, 4 cases of V7) arise from each 1000 s usual contacts, if n £rci 
under analysis has a high contact rate, it will tend to have a hich rate. , There c*<n be no question that for so;ie men, the fact of church teachings on 
abstinence play . an i mportant p rt. Occasionally , one will take the An# to 
task for not following a strictly religious course in Handling VD problems; 
"hhen.it co.£s to VD I beliov . if there \ ere a few t< Iks on ..hat the ’Good 
book1, the Bible says about this it might help a little, a let of fellows 
are not Christians, but they still w-mit to do what is right. It seems to 
me the .-.r..y encourages intercourse too muen. They say, go right ahead but 
be sur- to take a Pro," 
"The Scriptures toc.en tn t it is sinful to have intercourse out of wedlock, 
therefor*.. I don't do it. Sur* , I am just as tempted as the next follow 
and just as human but by pray ing for stren th to ovt rcome t captation I 
find it easy through J-sus Christ• Therefor, myc ansi or to this question, 
and all questions oh human nature, is to follow Christ and these things 
will pass avay ." 
c* bducnt.ion. hen on th-- highest educational levels report the least 
sexual contact in Itdy i.n the If ast VD, both in Italy; • nd the States, As 
was true of marital status and religious background, this does not mean that 
those who are college men completely abstain and that those who arc grade 
school men account for all contacts, but it does mean that ther. arc some sig- 
nificant differences ii the amount of contact, 
* ith regard to th- educ< tional achicvem nt of th man, they say they’ have 
completed the following highest grades; 
Table 2U 
Loss than 8 grades 
10% 
Finisned 8th grade • 
15 
Completed some hi; h school i ork 
3e 
Graduated from high school 
.30 
'Completed some college vori: • 
12 
Graduated from collage • • 
2 
I Jo ausv.’or 
1 
Total 
100£ 
, ?eg?fd to s. xuci.l contacts and educational lev Is, there is more than 
16 per cent .difference Outween college men and grade school men in the propor- 
tion who have abstai ccd frai .intercourse in Italy (TaUb 2$)i Table 25 
High All 
Loss than Graduate Some high school college 
Frequency of inter- 8 grades 8 grade school gracuate men 
course 
in Italy ... 
100% 
IOC# 
100% • 
100% 
100% 
I. 
None at all 
20 ! 
n ' i 
; 26 
22 1 
n 
1 31 j 
1 1 - 
36 
II. 
Less than once 
22 
if; 
1 ] 
i 26 i 
19 
• 
a month 
! 
; i7 j 
i 
1 
. 
—i 
i 
; . 
J 
III. 
. Once or twice 
i I 
? 
r i 
a month 
36 ' 
i 
| 36 | 
39; 
I28! 
1 j 
30 
IV, 
Three or more 
I 
1 j' 
i 
1 1 
S -.c 1 
15 
times a month 
22 1 
i 2i; 
2i; 
* 15 { 
f 
-——-I 
» 
Similar analysis shows that 20 per cent of grade school non-graduates 
say tney have-had V D at sometime in their life, v.hile only 10 per cent of the 
men who attended college have been infected. Since overseas, the 
percentages reduce to 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively. VD figures 
for men on other educational levels lie between these extremes, 
d. ape. Half of th - white BI in this study were under 26 years of 
age, and half were age 26 or older, a/ The older men are clearly less 
likely to seek intercourse overseas: 
Table 26 
Under 
25 - 
30 - 
Over 
Frequency of intercourse 
in Italy ,,. 
22 
100^ 
29 
ioo£ 
34 24_ 
100# 100^ 
—i 
n 
— 1 
I. None at all 
24 
28 
29 1 
36 I 
■ 
- -1 
A _ _ 
t 
• 
i 
11. Less than once a month 
20 
22 
— 
21 ! 
* { 
1 
( 
III. Once or twice a month 
36 
31 
1 
34 ! 
» 
31 * : 
IV, Three or mere times a month 
201 
1 
I— 
19 
16 | Li? ' 
’a/ This compares favorably with the median age of 26,7 years for men in 
the Theater, as computed from sample statistics of the- AGO. The 
arithmetic average for men in this study is 26.7 years. Men in the youngest group are more likely to say they' have never 
had VD in their lifetime are'/nen in group (£8% versus 
74%), Other .age groups lie uniformly between these extremesSince v 
coming Overseast however, the older men are- just as- likely-to‘ report 
VD as the younger men, which is not to be expected because the older 
men (1) have less frequent intercourse and, (2) are also more likely 
to be married, and married men have less frequent intercourse overseas. 
- The explanation lies in the fact that these older men havd been 
overspas a greater average length of time. They have been exposed 
to VD, therefore, sufficiently more frequently’ than younger men to 
v/ipe out the expected difference in VD between younger and older men, 
Vihen time overseas is held constant, the fact reappears that younger 
men in Italy have run up the VD rate disproportionately (Table 27): 
Table 27 
Proportion reporting VD 
overseas among men overseas 
2 3 ears or more 
Age 24 or under 
. . ' , .17? 
Ages 2-5 - .29 
13? '•=; - 
Agea 30 and up 
PS 
e. Place of residence. The size* of the communities in which the 
soldiers were living during the 5 years 'previous to entering the Array 
is not significantly related to frequency of sexual intercourse or 
venereal infections. That is, men from rural communities are not 
greatly different from men from small, medium, or large towns or cities 
in their repo-ted sexual behavior while overseas. 
A similar analysis by state in which the soldier resided 'for most 
of the 5 years previous to entering trie Army shows some difference 
between Northerners and Soutnerners in the percentage who have remained 
continent in Italy' (North, 29%, South, 20%) with Westerners midway 
between (2?%)« This difference between North and South cannot be" ex- 
plained on 11e basis of rurality, as shown in the preceding paragraph, 
but it might be traceaole to differences in education, age, or marital 
status rather than to an assumption that men from the different areas of 
the United States have fundamentally different attitudes toward sexual 
behavior. f • Time ovcrseas. H..1X of the' soldiers in the survey had been 
overseas less than 21 months, and‘half over 21 monthsi a/ The average 
man had been in the Array almost exactly a yehr more than that (a total 
of 33 months)* b/ As v'ould bo expected) men who have been overseas the 
longest (and 3& per bent have been overseas for 2 years or more) were much 
more likely to say tnat they have had intercourse in Italy, It is 
important to note that the sexual behavior pattern, as shown in the first 
bar below (Table 28;, is not simply that of abstaining for a few months 
and then breaking one's record vdth a single incident. Instead, wide 
differences in frequency of intercourse appear almost immediately. Then 
the proportion of men who have abstained gradually drops to 19 per cent, 
and the average number of sexual contacts among those who are having 
intercourse increases. There appears to be little change in sexual 
behavior after two years: 
Table 28 
Frequency of inter- 
Less than 
6 me, * 
6 mo 
to 1 
up 1 yr up 2 yr up 3 yr 
S r to 2 yr to 3 r and up 
course 
in Italy ... 
1002 
100% 
100JS IGO/o 
lOOfo 
- 
) * -< 
1 
» 
1 
I. 
Mono at all 
52 
1 
J 
|4 I19! 
t; 
II. 
III. 
IV. 
Less than once 
a month 
Once or twice 
a month 
Three or more 
a month 
i 
times 
5*. 
1 
25; 
JLJ 
' 16 
}— 
i 26 
Ll2 
i 
IT n 
36! 135 ! 
1 I 
* J \ 
i 1 i 
—t UJ 
20 1 | 211 
1 J 
26 
— — 
32 
23 
Finer breakdown not advisable, since 
were overseas less than 6 months. 
only 
r8 men (5%) in this 
sample 
VD infections rise directly vdth time overseas, as might be expected. 
Only 2 per cent of the men who have been overseas less than a year have been 
infected while overseas, but 13 per cent of those who have been overseas 
2 years or more have been infected while in the Theater, The men uniformly 
report the same amount {!%) of infection as the result of civilian or 
garrison life. It is continued presence in an overs as Theater that 
makes the striking difference (11%) in the proportion now reporting that 
they have been infected sometime in their life. 
a/ 21 months is both the median average and the arithmetic mean, and 
corresponds almost exactly with available AGO sample statistics, 
33 months is the median, and about 3A months is the arithmetic average 
for total time in tho Army, The men sometimes commented oh the progressive breakdown of morale 
so far as sex is concerned: •> 
"I’m getting so I don’t.care about anything. I used to keep away 
from the whores but what with nothing to look fonward to I don’t 
give a damn*", . : 
"The V.D. rate in -this - outfit sec.ms to have increased proportion- 
ately to its length of time overseas. I have, heard many men 
comment that they would stay away from these Italian women if 
they just kne1 *How much longer’." 
"I rill soon-have been-married 6 years. Up until 9 months 'ago 
/hen I■cane overseas never had I had intercourse with any woman 
other than my rife since I married her. r'hen an older married 
man is in the* same tent with a bunch of uunarried boys that are 
going out most of the time, it puts him in a bad frame of mind," 
g. Rank or grade. There is a slight relation between Army rank 
or grade and frequency of intercourse, with the upper grades of EM 
reporting less frequent intercourse and slightly loss VD. a/ Vhile 23 
per cent of Privates or Pfc’s report complete sexual abstinence in 
Italy , 27 per cent of corporals and 31 per rent of Sergeants (c.ny grade) 
say they abstain, , 
Sergeants report slightly less VD while overseas than other grades 
which is consistent with their slightly lower exposure rate. The fact 
that the average sergeant has been in the Theater longer than men in 
other grades makes their exposure and VD record -look even better. 
h. Con.bat. Combat men are not different from non-combat men in 
the amount of sexual contacts they, report for the three months just 
prior to the stud;. . b/ Combat men report slightly less VD while overseas 
which is probably -» reflection of restricted sexual contacts while in 
combat and a somewhat shorter length of service in the Theater. There is 
no difference between the amount of VD reported by the two groups prior 
to overseas shipment. 
Fifty-six per cent of the men had been in combat, according to 
their answers to the question, "Hr.ve you been in actual combat in 'this 
war? (that is, have you had a job which kept you regularly within the 
range of enemy artillery?)." 
a/ In this sample, ur!% of the men were Privates or Pfc’s, 23% were 
Corporals or T/3, and 30 per cent Sergeants (r.ny grade) or T/3, T/A» 
This compares very closely v.ith sample statistics reported by AGO 
for rank or grade .(49$, 22%9 23%) respectively). 
b/ Most of the questionnaires were completed during July 19A5. All 
combat in the Theater had ceas. d on 2 11 y, 8• SvauQ Person.0lity Factors and Their Relations to Sexual Exposure 
Certain other aspects of a man’s personality are either known or 
thought to be associated with his tendencies to seek sexual expression 
and the related problem of VD. The use of liquor is one of them; 
practically all Araj movies and talks on VD discuss this factor. 
The accepted program of education also drolls on the dangers of VD 
because of possible consequences to a man’s loved ones or because of personal 
consequences. The ’’fear" theme is regularly used in driving the lessons of 
VD home with tne hope that the man will link together abstinence and other 
deep-seated attitudes* 
A third problem in personality is that of emotional security. It’s 
generally thought that a man who knows a girl is waiting for him somewhere 
will be true to her; he will not seek outlets with other women. Army life 
overseas wrecks these old emotional ties when it takes a man away from his 
wife or sweetheart, and leaves him with a set of memories and occasional 
letters.. In its place, he has new dangers and lots of frustration and 
uncertainty. 
These three factors and certain others are discussed in this section. 
The reactions and attitudes of the soldiers on these questions should prove 
helpful specifically to those who plan anti-VD campaigns, and generally 
to those vhc want to know some of the ramifications of the whole problem of 
sexual intercourse, 
a, .Expectation of marriage and frequency of intercourse overseas. 
Forty-two per cent of the men say they left a girl behind tnem in the States 
whom they’ expected to marry after the war, 2# per cent say they did not, and 
the remainder are married (30/'). 
Of the men who say they left a girl behind whom they expect to marry, 
half feel that she has stayed loyal to them and half express doubts 
(Table 29): 
Table 29 
Question: tfSo far as you know, has she stayed loyal to you?” 
Among men who 
left a girl 
Proportion sn*ing.,. 
behind 
Yes, I am sure she has staved loyal 
51? 
Yes, I think she has sta; ed loyal, but I’m not 
sure 
W 
. No, I don’t think she has staved loyal, but I’m 
not sure ? 
5% 
No, I’m sure she has not staged loyal 
1U% 
Undecided 
9% 
No answer 
k 
Total 
ICO% Men who express any degree of doubt as to the loyalty of the girl they 
expect to marry are more likely to say that they have had intercourse in 
Italy ,. as shown in the following t: ble (Table 30). T hether a man’s doubts 
as to his sweetheart’s loyalty, precipitates illicit sexual contacts on his 
part cannot be determined from these data. It is quite possible that 
this is tru-, but it is also possible that feelings of guilt about his own 
conduct leads a ruin’to rationalize this conduct by saying that his sweet- 
heart is probably not remaining loyal either. 
Table 30 
Frequency of intercourse 
in Italy,.. . 
Among'unoarrird men who,.. 
Did not . Are sure 
leave a their girl 
girl behind stayed loyal 
Express 
any degree 
of doubt 
100^ 
ioo£ 
100£ 
I. Hone at all 
1 
1 
i_V 
\ ‘ 
25; 
II. Less than once a month 
r- r 
; 19{ 
» \ 
i 2Ai 
. 
24 
III, Cnee or twice a month 
1 < 
i 36: 
i i 
' 35; 
■ 
36 
' 
IV. Three or more times a month 
rr 
i 22! 
i 
|r ir- 
hr 
(Proportion of all men in Theater*) 
* The remaining 30% are married. 
(28%') 
! I 
(22 %) 
:2o% 
) 
More difficult to understand is the group (22 per cent of all men in tte 
Theater) who are sure their sweethearts have stayed loyal. As shov n jx the 
chart, a total of 75 per. cent of this group frankly say that they have had 
intercourse in Italy, Cns of these men, regardless of his own behavior, 
•shows his fears about his sweetheart,, even though he says he is sure she 
has stayed loyal, when he volunteers this comment: .... 
"The Army gives us plenty of beautiful posters and interesting 
movies on sex and how to avoid diseases and why we should not- 
indulge in sexual intercourse —NOV/— How about, producing some 
really good shorts on the same stuff to show our wives and 
sweethearts back in the states? Print a series of impressive 
posters that people back home will see everytime they turn a• 
corner — posters and movies about staying true and faithful to 
their men overseas. Have some good speakers (not ministers) to 
tour various cities and towns and speak on how we need their 
trueness." '*xji 4 - 
There is some evidence, then, that a feeling of sureness in the 
loyalty of one’s sweetheart is connected with less sexual exposure in 
Italy , but this ".veil-known "loyalty" U»eme as an explanation of hy soae 
men have intercourse while others do not is far from, accounting for the 
different kinds of sexual behavior reported by the aen themselves in 
this Theater. 
b. Relation of liquor to sexual exposure. Only 9 per cent of th e 
aen say they haven’t drunk any wine or liquor at all since being in 
Italy. Therefore, the problem of liquor and its alleged close association 
with bad prophylactic practices involves about 90 per cent of the white ELI 
in Italy,’ 
It is obvious from the next chart that men who rate- themselves as 
bigger drinkers than most soldiers are also much more likely to report 
frequent sexual contacts or exposures. Conversely the non-drinker is 
strikingly more likely* to say that he abstains from interco-urse, also. 
Thus, it seems that one behavior is a pretty good predictor of the 
other (Table 31)* 
Table 31 • 
Amount of 
drinking 
in Italy* 
None 
A lot 
A little 
About 
More 
at 
less 
less 
the 
than 
\ 
all 
than 
than 
same 
most 
most 
most 
as most 
men 
Frequency of intercourse 
men 
men 
men 
in Italy... 
10C$ 
n 
• 
100% 
ko? 
ioo% 
100% 
I, None at all 
| 1 
! ! 
I62 
» 1 
1 
i 
) 
{ : 
133 1 
» —1 
1 1 
jag | 
r ! 
: 
jl3* | 
II. Less than once a month 
|1Q 
r~ * t 
! 26 ' 
.20 : 
i 21 
T 
,16.! 
.III. Cnee or twice a month 
U? ; 
L 
1 
r 
u 
i i 
1 i 
d 1 
• IV. Three or more times a month 
hij 
j 28 . 
1 ! 
i 
139 ; 
i 
• 39 
1 1 
'■U3> 1 
| i 
113 i 
• 
i i 
r- j 
‘ 
M 
i 
ri 
■ 
U:6 » 
251 
•28 m 
! 
: 
(Proportion of all men in Theater*) 
(955) 
(3555) 
(175?) 
(27%) 
(ii?) 
1% did net answer this question. 
\ Answers to another question also reveal the relation between drink- 
ing and intercourse, for almost 50 per cent of the men say they usually 
or about half the time haVe a couple of drinks just prior to intercourse 
(Table 32). Data from this study cannot be construed to mean that because 
a man dri/lcs he therefore has- intercourse, or that wiping out liquor would 
reduce appreciably the number who have illicit intercourse,' It is quite as 
likely that the desire for intercourse may lead to drinking,' or that the 
"desire for drink - desire for intercourse" pattern of behavior is a 
circular one, with each motivation reinforcing the other. The figures 
can be used, hov:ever, to indicate the extent to which the’ two problems 
are connected: 
Table 32 
Question: "Vihen you have intercourse over here, do you usually have a 
couple of drinks first?" 
Proportion saying... 
i • 
Among men v;ho have 
had intercourse' 
in Italy 
Yes, I usually have a couple of drinks first 
25% 
About half the tine, I have a couple of drinks 
• first 
23% 
ITo, I hardly ever drink before having sexual inter- 
course 
yA 
I.c, I never drink before having sexual inter- 
course 
Total 
22f, 
iooi 
The "drinking-intercourse pattern" is directly associated with 
higher VD rates since coming overseas; and, interestingly enough, prior 
to coming overseas also (Table 33): 
Table 33 
Ai-iong non 
who say they... 
Never 
Haroly 
Drink 
U fa uilixy 
drink 
ever 
about 
drink 
before 
drink 
half the 
before 
inter- 
before 
tine before 
inter- 
Proportion reporting VD 
infections.•. 
Overseas (sone had been 
in- 
course 
inter- 
coinrse 
inter- 
course 
course 
feeted previously) 
* In civilian or garrison 
life ‘ 
6% 
10? 
12? 
15% 
not overseas 
5% 
5% 
10% 
13% 
At no tine 
i 
85% 
78? 
jn 
Total 
1C0% 
100% 
'100% 
100? It is generally assumed that the drinking soldier presents a special 
problem in the control of VD because he is unable properly to apply the 
prophylactic knowledge that he has* Some outfits assume that ail men who 
show signs of intoxication have been exposed and take steps accordingly. 
As one man put it; 
11 In this outfit a man that comes in drunk is riven a pro whether he 
likes it or not. The men that have sexual intercourse, if they 
are men at all, will take the proper precautions, but not drunks,” 
Undoubtedly there is much truth in this, yet there is evidence.to 
suggest that men who usually drink before intercourse or who do so about 
half the time have somewhat poorer prophylactic practices to begin vrith 
t-han do men v'ho never or hardly ever drink before intercourse. The 
following table shows whether heavy7 or light drinkers are more likely’ to 
have the best prophylactic practices; 
Table 31 
Drinking 
habits 
course 
before 
inte r- 
Some related prophylactic 
problems; proportion of men 
sayinf • theyu.. 
Never 
drink 
Hardly 
ever 
drink 
Drink Usually 
about drink 
half 
the 
time 
Always use a condom 
7Tr 
6^ 
71% 
Always ro to a Pro-Station 
51/o 
38% 
U7% 
Always use a Pro-Kit 
33% 
26% 
1356 
27% 
Never "snack up" for a nipht 
77% 
73% 
5& 
6% 
The differences are not large, but they are significant both 
in a statistical sense and in the sense that any group of men that 
fails to apply prophylaxis perfectly is pavirr the way to high VD 
rates- The two groups that drink most are consistei. ly below the 
two groups that drink least in the proportion say in; they alway s 
follow any given prophylactic "must". 
The significant findings on the relation of liquor to the VD 
problem can be summarized thus: 
(1) 9 out of 10 men in Italy drink liquor or wine 
(2) They are much more likely to be the men who have sexual 
intercourse (3) It is not clear from this study whether men who want sexual 
intercourse take a few drinks to Release inhibitions so that they can 
achieve their sexual goal, or whether the liquor stimulates sexual 
behavior. (The present study did not attempt to solve this riddle.) 
(O . The * resent study does show a close relation between the two, 
and it shows that VD rates are much higher for men who say they usually 
or frequently drink prior to intercourse. Of course, men who don’t drink 
at all report a share of-the VD in the;, Theater. 
($) The data indicate that men who drink a poorer set of 
prophylactic practices to begin with. Therefore, it is not yhist the 
matter of drinking which should concern these who direct VD control 
programs, but also the problem of why it is that men who drink are also 
those who don’t care as much about prophylaxis. 
c. Fears about contracting VD. The men split almost exactly into 
thirds on the question, ”How much do you worry about getting a venereal 
disease?” A third say they worg, a lot., a third worry about it somewhat, 
and a third do not worry about it ~tr-rjrl. 
As can be expected in view of their record, r,hose who say they 
are completely content worry least of all about VD (Table 35): 
Table 35 
■ 
Proportion that worry 
Ma lot” or 11 somewhat” 
Frequency of intercourse in Italy... 
about getting VI 
Lone at all 
25% 
Less than once a month 
Once or tvice a month 
Bb% 
Three or mere tines a; month 
> 
Having been "burned” by VD overseas has but little sobering effect 
on these men. Eighty-seven per cent of them say they v;orry about 
contracting: VD ’’somewhat" or "a lot”, which is about the same proportion 
as was true for men who have not been infected but who have intercourse 
in Italy, 
Fear of passing cn VD to someone a m n loves seems to b the biggest 
deterrent, according to men’s answer to the ouestion: Table 36 
Question: ’’What is the main reason why you yourself want to keep from 
getting a venereal disease?” ■ ! . 
If I caught one I might -ive it later on to someone I love 53^ 
k venereal disease can ruin your health permanently .. .34 
I would be ashamed to have a venereal disease 6 
Having a venereal disease is painful- and a nuisance 3 
I'd ret busted or punished if I caught a venereal disease “I 
. Other, and Kc an hive r 3 
Total 100£ 
Men rho have remained continent are different from men who have most 
intercourse in two principal ways: 
(1) Theyr are more likely to fear infecting a loved one 
(2) They are more likely' to say they7 would be ashamed to catch VD. 
The group that has most intercourse is the only group that places 
first the reason, "a venereal disease can ruin your health permanently", 
which indicates that this group is less characterized by fear of social 
consequences than it is by personal ones. 
There is one score upon which the vast majority of men agree, 
regardless of their own sexual practices in Italy, About 90 per cent of 
them say that it ie a]ways or usurlly a run's own fault if he gets VD. 
Men who have had VD overseas likewise- say it is a man's fault if he 
gets it. Since many of these men may have acquired VD at a time when they 
thought the„ using prophylactic procedures correctly, their answers 
are riven completely for inspection. parently some of the men think it 
was not a matter of carelessness (Table 37)» 
Table 37 
Question: "Do y ou think it is a man's own fault if he pets a venereal 
Hi 
niroxir men 
v'ho have,,. 
• 
Theater. 
Average 
Had VD 
overseas 
Had VD in 
civilian or 
garrison 
life 
Never 
had 
VD 
It 
always is ais fault 
U5%: 
5C$ 
ki% 
Wi% 
It 
usually is his fault 
A3 
AO 
35 
AA 
It 
is his fault about half the 
t i/ne 9 
7 
11 
9 
It 
usual]y isn’t his fault 
2 
3 
3 
1 
It 
almost never is his fault 
* 
- 
3 
# 
Mo answer 
1 
1 
1 
100$ 
100$ 
100$ 
100% 
Less than half cf one per cent. 9 / 
\ [ y. • ■ (ry : 
d• Frooutf.'V of intercourse £nd certain unrelated factors, 
Although the following seven questions have frequently proved of real 
service in the analysis of other problems in soldier attitudes and morale, 
done served to differentiate between men who report no sexual intercourse in 
Italy and those who have intercourse with varying degrees of frequency* a/ 
It was thought, for instance, that men who fail to get along with other 
people, or who don’t like their jobs might compensate by frequent sexual 
contacts, that men wno are generally disheartened or, who feel physically 
below par might be less agressive (or more aggressive?) sexually, and that 
men who are bored in their free time mi ht be those who have most sexual 
contact. 
The seven questions, each of which had an appropriate check list, 
that were used to test these notions, are as follows; 
(1) "Do you like to work with the other fellows in your company?" 
(2) "Do you consider your own present job or duty in the Amy an 
important one in the war effort?" 
(3) "How satisfied are you about being in your present Army job 
instead of some other Amy job?" 
(A) "How would you say people you know feel about you?" 
(5) r’In general, how would you say you feel most of the time, in 
good spirits or in low spirits?" 
(6) "In general, how would you say your health is?" 
(7) "Can you find interesting things to do in your off-duty free 
time?" 
Although these questions, dealing with personal frustration (whether 
on or off the job), social rejection, and feelings of psychological and 
physical well-being proved non-differentiating with regard to sexual 
behavior, this in no way should deny' the wisdom or suitability of other 
approaches or of extended questioning in those areas. The present 
questionnaire tvas sufficient!: long (77 questions) to preclude further- 
penetration into these areas at this time. 
a! These questions do differentiate between men of different commands in 
this study. The: show that men in the Air Forces, for instance, have 
highest job satisfaction, men in F3S say they are in poorest health, etc. 9. Seledted Army Attitudes In Heirtion To VD Problerf^v 
are certain attitudes held.fey the men toward Army practices, 
policies, and situations which are holtvant to the problem of controlling 
VD. If men do not disapprove of a fellow -soldier who becomes infected and 
if they think he should not be punished even for Repeated offenses, then 
Army administrators lack the backing of soldier opinion in fighting VD. 
These questions arc discussed in this section. 
The problems of passes and diversionary activities are also discussed. 
That do the men think of the present pass situation? Do they have enough 
wholesome diversion? More important, do they want to be diverted from 
women? 
a. Attitudes toward Ar0L and going on sick call. Certain parts of 
the data in this study support the Army's Viewpoint that men who abstain 
from intercourse, and therefore who have lower VD rates, are men with 
better general attitudes or morale. Although this was not true with 
regard to satisfaction with one’s Army job, retting along with other 
fellows in the company, and a general feeling of well-being, it is true 
with regard to attitudes toward going on sick call unnecessarily, going 
A1 OL, and contracting VD. 
First of all, note that while the majority of men say they dislike a 
fellow who goes on sick call unnecessarily or who goes AWOL, sizeable 
minorities do not disapprove of these practices (Table 38): 
Table 
Question: MHov; do you feel about a soldier in your outfit who tries to 
get out of doing his job by going on sick call when he 
doesn’t really need to?M 
"How qo you feel about a soldier in your outfit who goes ATrQL?” 
Goe s 
on sick 
Goes 
Proport ion saying... c all 
unnecessarily 
AWQL 
I don’t have any use for a fellow 
who would do that 
62% 
53£ 
It doesn’t make any difference to me 
one way or the other 
18 
22 
It’s OK with me, if he can get away 
with it 
15 
12 
Something else - That?*- 
A 
12 
No answer 
1 
1 
Total 
10C$ 
100$ 
* Most men in this category offered qualified answers of the sort. 
"It 
depends on the circumstances," •It is clear from the folio*, ing table that men ho have most, .frequent 
sexual intercourse are also more likely to have attitudes of tolerance 
toward the man who goes on sick call unnecessarily7 or who goes AVJOL 
(Table 39): • • •’ , . . 
Table 39 
Fropoition saying 
have no use for a 
man who... 
they 
Frequency of intercourse in Italy,,. 
Goes on sick call 
unnecessarily 
Goes 
AVTOL 
I. 
. Lone at all 
12i 
(>% 
II. 
Less than once a month 
66% 
5% 
III. 
..Once or twice a month 
58% 
505* 
IV. 
Three or more times a month 
U9% 
The great majority of nen sho; considerable tolerance toward a man 
who contracts VD. Close to 70 jer cent say theywouid hold it, .against a 
man for contracting VD only if he didn't go on sick call, and another 15 
per cent say they would net hold it against him didn-t go,,,on. 
sick call right aiaj„ Only the remaining 15.per cent show sharp 
attitudes of disapproval, saying they would hold it against him whether 
or not he went on sic’: call ri'-Ut away_. 
Once again - men who have had no-intercourse in Italy are more likely 
to take the stern attitude of disapproval (2i$), while only 10 per cent 
of men who have most frequent intercourse say they would hold it against 
him whether or not the man went on sick call, 
b. Thy men t ould not go on sick call., The men were isked to give 
freely any reasons they might have for not wanting to go on sick call if 
they thought they had caught a venereal disease. Very few of the men 
wrote in any.’ reason whatsoever; so few that this reaction suggests 
strongly that the majority would go on sick call if they thought they 
were infected, • * 
The racist, common reason written in by these who wrote anyJning at all 
. involved pride a.id shame, and perhaps fear of consequences. Typical 
remarks of this sort are; 
"It would be o. .la massing as hell." • 
"Everyone would know it and most likely you would be ’cast away’ 
from your buddies." 
"Personal prude perhaps and maybe even fear of the consequences." 
"Sick call in Squadron is too personal - would suggest reporting to 
dispensary and not informing CO of the nature of disease." The next most common remark wafe about fear of consequences, not only 
to self but occasionally to one's buddiest 
"Yes, to keep from being punished by xqj C0.M 
"Yes, I would be questioned abort place of contact and might be 
busted if out of bounds." 
"If I thought I could get cured by other way s I would never go on 
sick call, as a court martial is put on one's service record." 
"Yes, we were told vre'd b the last to get a chance to go home." 
"Yes, because they would want to treat me like a damn dog if they 
thought I had a venereal disease," 
"I have been punished without warning; embarrassed, publicized, and 
stripe s taken away," 
"The outfit may be restricted for a long ti.ie if the VD rate went 
up in the? company ." 
c. Conran;- punishment for VD. The matter of punishment was 
specifically raised- else1/here in the questionnaire, and 32 per cent of the 
men said es in response to the question, "If a soldier in your outfit 
catches a venereal disease and goes on sick call right away, does ne lose 
any privileges — is he punished in any way?" ah additional 51 per cent 
said ho, and 17 per cent indicated that they didn't know,. 
The men are; evenly split on the question, "Do you think a soldier 
who gets a venereal disease more tnan once should be punished?" Forty- 
eight per cent mere against puniSiur.ent, and 47 per cent in favor, with 5 
per cent failing to answer the question, 
men who _ave had VD overseas split about 2 to 1 against punishment 
for recurrent infections (65m vs 3U%)• n who have most frequent 
intercourse likewise tend to vote arainst punishment (,£>1% vs 37%). At 
the other extreme, a slight majority of the men who have had no inter - 
course in Italy vote in favor of punishment vs 1*0%, with &%> not 
voting;. 
The men were asked, "How should he be punished?" if he should be 
punished at all. Practical!1 all men who said punishment was in order 
wrote a free comment about the t; pe of punishment they thought suitable. 
The typical comments given bclov are divided into 3 groups for convenience; 
I. Frequently mentioned punishments, II, Punishments mentioned 
occasional!; , III, Punishments' mentioned by a few. 
I. Frequently mentioned punishments: 
"Restricted to end of var," 
"Severe restrictions on personal privileges — assigned to duty in 
a VD wf.rd." "Loss of time and pay." 
"B istod ana transferred to another outfit." 
"Labor detail." 
"Limited passes for a given period - sap 1 per week for 3 months," 
"Stop furloughs." 
"Bp taking away his Companp privileges." 
"Fine so many dollars per grade," 
"Extra dutp, maybe a court martial." 
II. Punishments mentioned occasionally; 
"Bp a psychological process; prevent him from being able to Join 
different functions." 
"By posting his name on the bulletin board," 
"Inform the folks back home." 
"He needs more teaching on the subject," 
"By repeated lectures and must carry and rubbers at all 
times," ’ 
"He, himself, be made to giv* the lectures," 
"Throw him ixi the stockade. After having it once, I’d stop." 
"Nine lashes," 
"Forfeit all rights to rest camp for 6 months and no overnight 
passes for a period," 
"Seeing patients with really bad cases." 
III. Punishments mentioned b. a few: 
"Possibly thru "bad time" (but nothing severe enought to cause him 
to conceal- it)," 
"He shouldn’t be given a promotion or privileges, since he is 
irresponsible. ” v. 
"Disnonorabie discharge," "It should h-.ve some bearing on his return to the States." 
"Cut his testicles off," 
"He should be sterilized," 
"Forced to have a penis inspection every reek for 6 months," 
'•Make him pay for treatment." 
Since half of the men do not approve of any punishment, it seems that 
re a man is the punishment for repeated offen.ses that might 
meet the approval of at least a large minority of th len. 
d. Passes and frequency of intercourse. It is frequently alleged 
that the giving of passes is closely related to the problem of controlling 
VD. The reasons offered are oijten contradictory. For instance, it is 
said: 
(1) That if a man could get to a town or city, he could entertain 
himself in a whole some way. 
(2) if a man gets to go to town, the first thing he do€.*s is 
look up a girl. 
(3) Th. t when men are refused passes, thej have intercourse 
anyhow under the very worst of propirv 1- ctic circumstances - in the woods 
or weeds in or near the camp whore a man cannot care for himself and where 
the girl cannot either, thus endangering all men who contact her. 
(/+) That men go AVOL, if onl\ for 30 anutes, ’. hen refused passes, 
and then do not dare gc to a Fro Station, for seme a record is made out 
and sent to their company orderly room. 
All of these art reasonable. To tost, the relation of sexual behavior 
to frequency of passes, several questions ven asked. 
nighty per cent of the men sa; the; are ble to .get to a town or ci ty 
at least once a week. In fact at least half of the men say they 
get there more than once week. 
Men who get to town most frequently report neither more nor less 
sexual intercourse than those who are lass able to get to town. 
O’ly 16 per c nt of the men say, Fo. I have not had my fair share 
of passes in response to the question, "do . nu feel that you have been 
given your fair share of yasf.es in th<; last few montns?" These men report 
neither more nor less frequent intercourse than the others. 
The answers of the men also reveal that men who get the most over- 
night passes are also those who report most freouent intercourse. X 
On another question, 21 per cent of the men said they stayed all night 
in an Italian house, apartment, or hotel the last time they were on over- 
night pass, as might be expected, the group that has most intercourse is 
the group that is most likely to stay in Italian residences. 
It seems clear, the , that merely getting to town itself is not 
associated with highly7 frequent intercourse, hen who request ~nd obtain 
overnight passes, however, are much more likely to be those who have 
frequent intercourse, and it seems fair to conclude that they are more 
„ likely to "shack up" for the night. 
The problem of what men do on pass was also approached from.another 
angle - by asking the men to write freely an ans*. er to the question, 
"Vmat do y ou usually do when you go on a pass? (Please tell us as fully 
as you can)," *vbout 90 per cent of who men wrote an answer to this 
question, and the average man mention*d at least two things which he does 
usually when oh a pass. 
A total of 31 pea cent of the remarks indicated that the men who 
wrote them usually seek a woman as a main activity when on pass: 
Xh% indicate they definitely have' intercourse. 
13% indicate they try to find a \ Oman, but do not imply they always 
succeed. 
U% sav they have a "date", rhih may or may not indicate intercourse. 
An even larger number of remarks, AO per cent, are alout searching 
for liquor of exie kind, perhaps going to a night club to get it. (It 
should be noted again that the same individual could be included in both 
totals - looking for liquor and for a womanj. The complete classification 
of things the men say they usually do on a pass follows (Table AO): 
Table 10 
Percent of men 
writing this typ* 
of corient 
Look for c' woman 
yi% 
Look Tor liquor 
40 
Go to. movi- a, opera, shors 
40 
Go to Red >oss club 
24 
Go on tour 
24 
V.'alk aroqnd town 
24 
Latch or particle -.te in recreational act lvita.es of 
at hi1- tic type 
20 
Visit friends, old outfit,* Italian families 
4 
Look for a place to eat, GI or Italian 
O 
ki see Hunt o a 
4 
no answer 
10 
’ ‘ Total 
223%* 
The percentages add to more than 100 because the nu n could list any 
number of activities. There vre some immense differences between the various groups by 
frequency of intercourse. Two per cent of men who have remained continent 
in Italj say they seek female companionship; in the highest frequency of 
intercourse group (Group IV), 63 per cent say they look for a woman. This 
latter group is more than twice as likely to say they look for liquor, also. 
Some of the items where the differences betv;een groups are large have 
been selected for the following table (Table 4l): 
Table i+1 
Anong men i 
hose frequency of 
Intercourse 
while in Italy isv.. 
Lone 
at Less than 
Once or twice Three or more 
all 
once a month a month times a mont! 
Proportion saying they 
Grou' 
> I Group II 
Group III Group IV 
usually.,, 
Look for a woman 
2% 17% 
k% 63* 
Look for some liquor 
24 
39 
47 52 
Go to movies, opera, shors43 
45 
3b 34 
Go on sight-seeing tour 
33 
25 
20 18 
Walk arouna town 
33 
25 
21 15 
Go to Red Cross club 
32 
31 
20 • - 12 
&;ch column totals more than ICO per cent- because the men could list 
ar$ number of activities. 
It is quite likely that more fro ment passes will simply mean more 
frequent attempts at sexual contacts for men who say that looking for a 
woman is what they usually do v hen on a pass (men in Group IV). Their 
behavior on J as; seems clear enough; they ar not primarily interested 
in the Red Gross Club, sight-seeing tour, or walking around town. They 
have a purpose - women and liquor, then movies or shews. At this point, 
it seems indeed questionable that bigger and better clubs would divert 
these men, although they might indeed aid the man vno has no definite 
purpose in mind like the one who wrote this consent; 
•’Llore things to keep one’s self occupied while off duty would keep 
one’s mine nor. at ease and less would he think of the opposite sex. 
One cannot find anything to do and he finall; cones to the conclusion 
that a piece and a pro will taco up a couple c * hours of his time.” 
e. Diversionary facilities. From the point of view of VD control, 
bars for th men either in the Compaq or "cn Units” in town, dances, 
restaurants in towns, clubs, etc., are diversionary. That is they keep 
the man occupied in what is considered a less objectionable way, if not 
a "wholesome” way. Several questions were i .eluded to sound out what 
facilities were or were not available and what connection this might have 
with frequency of intercourse. BaRS for the men are unavailable for only/ 2 per cent of them: 
Table 42 
Question: "Vhcre can the men in your outfit go T hen they want something 
to drink?" 
Proportion saying... 
Bar in dayroom or club right in my unit 52%> 
Italian bar that is not "Off limits" 40 
Enlisted men1s club run in town by the Army 20 
There is no place to go that’s not "Off limits" 2 
No answer 2 
Total 116/&- 
*• The men could check two or piore, if correct, xvhich accounts for the 
large total. 
Men who h~ve most frequent intercourse are somewhat more likely to 
say that Italian bars are available to them as v/cll as unit bars. More 
important, hov-ever, is the fact that men in the most frequent intercourse 
groups seem to prefer the Italian bars, ks shown before, they drink more 
than men a ho have little or no intercourse and they are more likely to 
drink in an Italian bar, here, it can be assumed, native girls are 
often available for companionship, about 3 per cent of the men prefer to 
drink in an Italian "Off limits" bar, so they cay, and almost all of these 
men are in the two groups that live intercourse lost frequently, 
REST AT "Rf.*. 7 an i mess facilities for-men on pass also give a clue as' 
to th- different habits of men who h-sve intercourse most frequently. 
These men are more likely to sap that the last time they were in a city on 
pass, they uto in an Italian home or restaurant, and they are definitely 
less likely to say tney ate at a Red Cross Snack Bar, They do not differ 
much in the extent to which they use the various army-type eating 
facilities that are av< liable in cities. 
Because of the possibility that men go to Italian restaurants or 
homes because they cannot gat food quickly enough at a GI restaurant 
when taey are on pass, a question was asked as to how long they had to 
wait before tncp could get ary thin ; to eat the last time they tried a GI 
restaurant, Th e-fourths (754') qf the men said them less than half an 
hour was required before they were able to get something to eat, 16 per 
cent said it required ..ore than half an ho hr, •and the remaining 9 par cent 
said they have never gone to a GI restaurant. There was no observable c 
connection between these answers and frequency of intercourse. 
. . . .4 * . . ” * ' ' , j ! • r 
, • : i : u : 1 
PRICES or parties are usually/ thought to be diversionary; that is, if , 
men have access to girls under planned, social conditions then the provable 
consequences in terms of exposure and VD are minimized, Many of the men 
take this point of view, as indicated in this comment: "Still v;e '.re confronted ' ith the woman problem. The absence of 
women naturally makes the average soldier more conscious of then 
and after brooding for awhile seeks release; by going to a whores 
Soldiers do not have the opportunity to meet the better class 
Italian ' omen under the present setun. I believe the Red Cross 
could help this situation a great deal by having parties, dances, 
and so on, and inviting respectable girls to participate in the 
activities." 
The data collected here do not support such a conclusion, however. 
First, it should be noted that a third of the men have dances or parties 
at least once a week, another third say they have had none in the last 
three months, and the remaining third indicate that they have had just 
a few dances or parties in the last three months. However, the group 
that says the men in their outfit can go to a dance at least once a week 
contains just as many, in fact slightly more, men who have very frequent 
intercourse. The group that has no dances or rarties and the intermediate 
group are not different in the frequency of reported intercourse. 
A question on the nationality of the girls at the dances or parties 
fails to sho , any relation to frequency of sexual intercourse because 
there are apparently almost no dances which are restricted exclusively 
to American or English girls (l/o). This makes comp'.risons impossible. 
Seventy-eight per cent of the men who ere in outfits + hat have dances 
say that only Italian girls attend the dances (or parties).. The remaining 
21 per cent say that a mixture of Italian, ximericau, and'English girls 
are in attendance. 
The data of this study do not permit any interpretation as to whether 
the type of girls who attend soldier dances is more or less free of VD 
than the type tne soldier picks up in other way 3. If it were true that 
these girls nad less VD, then from the view--pint of VD control, it would 
be wise to press ‘this part of the diversionary program, as has been 
indicated, however, this would not reduce frequency of sexual intercourse. 
It is quite possible, too, that men who have infrequent intercourse - 
(Groups II and III) might expedaily, be content vdth mere female 
companionship of the type provided by more frequent dances with selected, 
better-class girls, but this is conjecture so far as the data of this 
study are concerned. 
f. that men want most to halo enjo-1; off-d d time. A selected list 
of items was presented to the men containing activities of a diversionary 
sort, and the„ 1 ere invited to cneck only two of tne things they' want 
most to help than enjoy' off-duty time. 
To one activity received an overwhelming vote, which indicates that 
the men’s needs are being met at least partially on almost every7 item. 
/The needs that get, the votes of at least 20 per cent of the men are for 
more tours to famous places and for more USO shows: Table 43 
Proportion saying they want this activity most. 4. 
Tours to famous places near your outfit 29% 
Lore USO Shows 21 
More movies IB 
Ears where enlisted men can get liquor that has been 
• tested 17 
More dances' ; • 16 
Places to. stay overnight when * ou are on pass 15 
More C-l restaurants • here you can eat when you are on 
pass , . 14 
More sports and games 13 
Classes in different school subjects and training for 
civilian jobs 12 
A day room in your own outfit ■ 6 
Better Red Cross clubs in cities 6 
More cooks and.magazines * 4 
More lectures and discussions on interesting subjects 2 
Something else. Vhaiet J? 5 
No- answer 3 
■ . Total 1B1£* 
The total does not reach 200£ because some failed to check two, as 
requested, and some did not answer at all. 
Men who have most frecuent Intercourse do not vote for all of the 
items to the same extant that other men do.. Hen who have most inter- 
course art likely to favor: 
(1) Bars v tie re EH can got tested liquor 
(2) Mora dances 
(3) More overnight places to stay 
Men who abstain completely or who have infrequent intercourse are 
more likely to favor: 
(1) Tours to famous places 
(2) Classes i : school subjects and job training 
(3) and to a lesser extent, day rooms, better Red Cross clubs, 
and more bocks. 
1 
On all other items, the varueus groups show little difference. It is clear that men who ha vs frequent intercourse v*ant activities 
that throv; then into contact with '.>xien or at least sot the stage for 
such contactSc They do not want to be diverted. It is the groups that 
alreadj* are diverting themselves that favor a better diversionary 
program and for whom a carefully planned diversionary* program may yield 
. biggest results in Vj control. L.? cxing adequate diversion, these men 
may find it easy to "..ill a fer hours" with a roman, rith its risk of VD. 
The fact that men who have most intercourse more frequently request 
overnight places to stay is subject to dual interpretation, berhaps they 
want such places provided by the Amy so that they can stay with a girl 
for several hours and then have a nearby Amy billet, rhich would eliminate 
a trip back to camp. On the otivr r hand, it is possible that more over- 
night places to stay would reduce the frequency of exposure, expecially 
to "shack jobs", if the men did not have to rent rooms in Italian homes 
or hotels. An, need for renting rooms in such places sets the stage for 
"shacking up", even though the nan did not particularly have this i.n mind 
v/hen he started on an overnight pass. 10. How the Men Wo* . Control VD.. 
At least 30 per cent of the men favor an outright Army sanction of prostitu- 
tion and. Army responsibility for controlling it* This is the principal type of 
response to a request that they write a free answer to the question, "What do you 
think is the best thing that cou.ld.bq done to keep the men from getting Venereal 
diseases?" .ft .is. entirely possible that‘ the percentage who might favor Army sanc- 
tion and control would be actually much higher? if a direct question had been 
asked of the sort, "Would you be for or against Army operated or controlled prostii 
tut ion"’, but such a question was'not asked. The 30 per cent referred to above ar( 
voluntary comments. ✓. 
The ansvjors of the men to the general question can be paraphrased and 
'classified as follows: 
Table 44 
The "host" ways to control YD '/ 
Suggestions for an outright sanction of 
controlled prostitution... Pn-n 
a. Have Array inspected or operated houses 
for GI’s' 21 
b# Army or civilian doctors should clean up pros- 
titutes physically so they would be safe 10 
Suggestions that meroly reiterated parts or all of the 
present Army program,,. 
c. Don’t take o chance: use condom, Pro Station, 
Pro-Kits etc., with other suggestions for * ■ , 
improving these , '17 
d. Use education: moremovi)s, talks, present plan 
CK 
g. Give men something else movies, sports, 
-dances, etc, ' * *3 
Alternatives to the usual Aniy approach,.. 
f. Get the men to abstain completely 9 
g. Got the men homo; get them out of infected areas 2 
h. Hake passes easier to got; give more furloughs ' 1 
" i* Punish offenders more severely * •» 
All others,,, 
U -AH pes: imlstic views 5 
k. Miscellaneous # . 
l, Ho an:w iVd; in egibi o or irrelevant "... 20 
um 
This group (20 *) should not bo interpreted as one couponed of men who ryOXly 
share, proportion*! !y, the opinions of mon in othir cntego-p-i MS but Who w 
too Lazy or on too low Q literacy level to formulate qn oiuswor. They aro prii 
cipnlly perplexed mon, and many of thorn actually wrote In. "Ho answer" "bocit 
mo", "Army knows- host". As might be expected, men who have no intercourse themselves are much more 
likely, to recommend abstaining as the best way to solve the problem of VD, Mon 
in the group that has intercourse most frequently recommend: 
(1) Army sanction and control. 
(2) Emphasis on the present prophylactic program. 
A.wide variety of remarks ere included below to show the range of the sol- 
diers’ 'thinking. Many of thoir'remarks are contradictory, often their remarks do 
not seem to bo very intelligent, but never can they be ignored in an analysis of 
the men’s thinking and reaction to tho Army’s VD situation, Tho groups "a" 
through "k" follow the groupings in the table given above; 
a• Havo Army Inspoetod or oporatod houses for GI1s (21%): 
"Have regular clean. GI women, '-bout five to a company to operate. 
Of course this would have to bo kept from the press." 
"The Army policy is to place all brothels off limits. The men still 
, got VD and plenty of it. The Army may as v?ell run brothels foff the 
record* and the girls in them who are known to bo clean who can 
bo inspect d d-ily if necessary." 
"Have regulated houses of prostitution at a rest camp,..riot near tho 
camp area. Let recreational facilities occupy leisure time in camp 
areas," 
"Do as most other Armies do—put up government-sanctioned and inspoc- 
t od hous os," 
"Legalized prostitution overseas under some othur more rcspoctablo 
name." 
"Have a GI whorehouse so the men wouldn’t have to go out and got somo 
of the filthy - -«■ they are now getting." 
"GI house but keep tho cost so low men 'wouldn’t go elsewhere*" 
"I don’t like the idea, but a government-sponsored whorehouse is the 
answer," 
b. Army or civilian doctors should cloan up prostitutes physically so thoy 
would bo safe (11%): 
"Check the girls more frequently; have tho men turn in tho sources." 
"Systematic survey and euro or isolation of all persons ‘(male and 
femalo) having venereal diseases. Nothing is being done about tho 
civilians with thoso diseases over hero." 
"Inspected whorehouses. Clamp down on thoso dago hospitals that lot 
wher'es go free for a reasonable sum, or because they can’t food them,' "Doctor all women caught hurtling," 
”Institute inspections of mon twico a month, Ron a house starting 
off with girls that are clean have a customer show his card 
stamped within the last two weeks. Crack down on outsiders,” 
"Go- eminent-inspected whoroe for shack jobs and at least an unofficial 
chock.on whorehouses,” 
"Have women inspected. Hhve men inspected before going in (and bo 
made to use a rubber and taka a proc Keep prices down* Pitting 
them off limits does harm." 
c * D°ntt take -a chanco: _ use condom. Pro St a tlon, Pro-Hits, etc., with 
other suggestions for improving those (17%): 
’’Always use a rubber and wash your penis off good and urinate," 
"It is largely up to the man now. The Army h's taken as many 
precautions as it can*" 
"G-ivo proper use of Pro-Kits by lectures, shows,” 
"GI rubbers -arc no good, bust '11 the time," 
"Bring back the old typo of pros. The now ones aren’t worth a damn." 
"More Pro Stations and men attendants who know their business... 
Boys in my outfit claim Pro Stations are no good in town,” 
d. Use Oducation:' more movies, talks, or present educational plan OK (10$); 
"More movios," 
"No more education than is already being done," 
"Post pictures of the results of VD always where they can see them." 
"Lot them see actual cases of VD, ” 
"Give more lectures and use diseased women to show the effects, and 
why it is easy to contract the disease,” 
”By giving them the plain facts -as to what TrD can actually do to the 
human body. By not printing that Ponicillin and sulfa drugs’ can 
euro VD,” 
”Human nature being what it is, it’s impossible for the Army to pre- 
vent sexual intercourse, Sinco there’s a lot of VD here, I’d suggest 
advertising campaign on Pro-Kits, etc., and also would avoid punishing 
men who dotgot VD - except if it can be proved that it was the guy’s 
own fault,” ”1 think thj Army is doing about ;-ll they can. The rost is up to tho 
soldier, o:;c apt they could take a few wise guys out of somo Pro 
Stations,” 
0, Give non something also to dot n>viost sports, danc--s, etc. (55b) I 
"Givo us more recreation that wo can an joy, I fool that tho shortage 
of fun over hire and our low morale lend a lot of us astray," 
"More wholesome GI shows. Keep alcohol oat. How can one help bat 
desire intercourse with so much sex taIk, pictures (pin-up too), and 
tho actual cox organs thrown at him*V 
"More sports and rest camps," 
f. Have tho men abstain comp let ely {9%) : 
"Keep your penis in your pantse" 
"Don’t violate the laws of God," 
"Teach the men to stay away and wait until they got home," 
g. Got the men horn.,; Lot them out of infected areas (2#): 
"Tho only way is to get us out of those infect g areas and that is 
to send us home," 
"Keep men out of areas that ere known to bo infected." 
"Send them home to their wife or girl." 
"Got us out of this Thoator," 
h. Make passes easier to pet; more furloughs (1^): 
"The one reasoon is that they don’t h"vo enough passes and they all 
grab the some girl," 
"Allow men liberal .pass privileges, so that they do not got a fooling 
of being ’cooped upr and think when they go out that thoy must throw 
a’ fa st one r, " 
"Don’t make men snoak out and take a quick! ; they can’t tako care of 
themselves if they are in a hurry." 
1. Punish offenders more severely (1<%); (Views of punishment wore also givon in 
response to-another question, reported elsewhere ir this study): 
"V/arn thj m ;n that any who pick it up will be fined or, better still 
with this point system, deprive him of about five or six for each 
c iso ho has-.” "Demand a pro clip °nd giro a court martial to r.iy one who gets it 
end has no pro 3lip," 
j, All pessimistic vi cws (5^): 
"I don’t think ther con b: nrach nor 3 don3, They my os 1 oil throw 
the tow s opcn, A non is going to h~vhi ’ run,” 
"Th ere is no way to keep thorn from it if 0 non do;. ft corn" 
"Not lot thorn go on p'-ss or le~d man round by the bond," 
"Put oil women in concentration comp," 
"Kill all the whores," 
k. I.liscollancous (ifo): 
"Don’t harp on the subject so much and make it o stolon sweet," 
"Lot the worn on run loose so a soldier can get 0 piece without worrying 
about the MP’s picking him up. That woy you wouldn’t have inter- 
course so much." 
"Rigid policing of houses of prostitution. Check where casos woro 
picked up. I don’t think th ;ro are enough men (HP’s etc,) available 
to do a thorough job," 
"Put all houses off-limits," , 
"Strictest confidence and closer relations botv;con medical officers 
and men. Definitely not too much restriction," 
"To see that doctors at all times stay around long enough for men 
who don’t like going on sick call and to give them some idoa how 
bad his case is." 
"I think physical inspection, twice a month is sufficient," 
"Lot married mtn have their over h ere...lot enlisted men go with 
WAO’s, nurses, etc..,inst.ead of officers," 
"Got come more WAG in Army." 
1 
"Get yourself e nice girl and stay with hjr all the time. I bring min 
from Romo with me." 
"Release him from all punishment and keep it quiet," "No, only I say tho restrictions are too stiff and a man that has it 
won’t go to an Aid Station in fo->r of hurting tho rest of tho man in 
his company." 
"Promote scientific research to find a vaccine that will immunize 
against these diseases," 
"Pro Stations where tho man is not required to £ive name and show 
pass. Abolish tho ’busting1 of men for getting a venereal disease. 
By treating the subject (7D) tho same as people treat common cold." 11. The Officer as an Example to His Men. No question tvs asked about the 
problem of officer-SM relations since it appeared to la extraneous to the prob- 
lem of controlling venereal disease. However, many of the men feel that there is 
a real connection between officer-EM relations and the control of venereal dis- 
ease, judging by voluntary comments written on a blank page provided at the end 
of the questionnaire for "any comments, criticisms, or suggestions that you have- 
n’t had a chance to write about already." 
Many of the comments were irrelevant to the problem of VD, and many others 
have been included in appropriate places throughout the present report. The 
problem which remains cannot be discussed in terms of percentages, 
but some illustrative comments ere appended here si *ce one problem is important 
in the minds of some of the men. 
The chief problem that the men see Is that of violstion of the privileges 
of rank. Hie situation can be paraphrased thus: 
What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, ’ Te should not be 
handicapped because of rank in our search for ciea: women or in our ability 
to entertain them. And t is means using government vehicles, too. Our 
officers, as models of conduct, must not do things from which we are both 
restricted. Furthermore, if we get VD and if they ret VD, there should be 
no difference in the censure or punishment meted out. 
This paraphrasing comes from the following small group of comments, which 
were selected because they represent a larger group: 
"Wo do not have da'ces, and our outfit has hern overseas 28 months now. 
There are no decent girls to be with or near, so prostitution is prev- 
alent. Officers each week fly the pianos to Rome, Naples, etc., and 
bring back American girls—, FACs, nurses, civilian workers for dancos 
— and then ’sLack-up* in their tent area next to ours. Yet wo are 
given lectures each week against bringing women into our In 
cases like the one just mentioned, good examples by officers are not 
sot for enlisted men," 
"As for the officers having all the TTAGs, I believe there is an A. R. 
out which states that an officer is not to associate with an enlisted 
WAC. Why isn’t this A. R, adhered to? Give the Enlisted Men a chanc 
to bo with and talk to a few American -JAGs and also have a dance with 
them," 
"A follow can’t actually criticize the Army, is ho would be speaking 
against his government. It seems to me, however, the enlisted men 
are looked down upon too much by the officers, No are many times 
made to feel 1 ike someth lag 1 ow or t h a n a F.7 ; r d I ’ m not oxa ggora t ing, 
I do agree that they (the- officers) should bo entitled to moro privi- 
leges, but why not give the Eli more privileges,' I can’t blame a man 
at times for getting drunk to drown his sorrows, and during that time 
he may contact VD. If the high officials were es concerned as they 
make off to bo, they’d check into these things. Too much talk and no- 
enough done," "First there is too much diff or enco in the privileges of* ETM and 
officers, GI-s sol.com have a chace of picking up an American WAC or 
nurse. Tho officers i.;ost always hovo transportation and can pick up 
the more decent Italian girls. They have better places to go, Bot- 
- ter clubs, 'bettor drinks, and better living quarters, I think the 
rrost trouble is caused because of inefficient leaders. Most officers 
never practice what they preach to their men,” 
"One day they give us a lecture on bringing babes in camp and shacking 
up. They said if wo’d caught if was our , Next day tho officers 
fly to Romo or other places, brought American girls for a danco— 
most of tho time it wos shacking-up in their t nts, as wo live next 
to them — nice example — lecture one minute and then turn around 
and do the opposite.” 
"Captain keeping women (Italian) in his quarters end eating better 
food then wo do. Captain holding up our shows until he and his Ital- 
ian friends are ready to see it0” 
"I do not fool with women in town on pass or any time Tfm drinking. 
There are plenty of prostitutes hanging around whore I work to sat- 
• isfy mo. Our organization has an officer’s war for twenty- 
eight months, fr.oy have a fine club, whiskey, dances with civilian 
TJ. S. women from Romo, with nurses, with native girls, Fo’vo had 
nothing, I donft blame the officers as a whole. Only the organi- 
zation loaders. We've had no wholesome contact with women since 
we’ve boon overseas* All our relations with women wo have to snook. 
Naturally wo aren’t thrown into contact with the bettor females, ThC, 
only women I’ve talked to for two years have been whores. Occasion- 
ally wo sec a Rod Cross girl, but that doesn’t ease tho longing for 
female companionship, Fith a bettor chance at mild flirtations a 
little necking possibly, I think the disease ra-to would fall. So 
far, if we want female companionship wc have to resort to prostitute: 
And it’s rough to hear a good orchestra, laughter from tho officers 
club. They seem to think we can remain celibates while they bask in 
feminine company*” 
"Tiftiy are officers allowed to keep their sorvr.ee records clear when 
contract venereal disease by having their medical record marked with 
everything from a bloody nose to a strain? Is it beneath their dig- 
nity? Tho enlisted men are not stupide They know that rank is no 
barrier to disease. It certainly does rot make lectures on VD more 
convincing when the men know this condition exists," 
"I don’t believe that anyone should he reduced in grade because ho has 
contracted a venereal disease. Sexual intercourse is part of nature 
and no one con change that* Of course, when officers contract VD thCS 
receive little or no punishment and certainly they are not reduced for 
misconduct, Mon are promoted for their ability to got a job done and 
for leadership, so why should an officer be permitted to retain his 
grade after having contracted VD and a non-com bo punished by reducing 
him in grade?” "The only one thing wrong in Italy is a C-, I, can't take a girl into 
his room all night, his pay doesn't allow him to force the femalo to 
go with him. And in this command women who are supposedly in lovo 
with the officers shack up, stay in the sane billots and eat n holl 
cf a lot better th n on! is ted m.m who are doing the job- ’Thy is it 
that when a soldier gets VD ho’s busted, yet you never hear of on 
officer's* I understand the offic ;rs eve only our loaders and not 
our Gods. They should oat the sane • s wo do — they should livo the 
same as wo do and they shouldn't b: llow'.d to live away from tho 
camp. I know a lot of men who would like to settle down and marry 
a girl from Italy but because of a prejudiced set of officers who 
think all women hore are whores, won t see it through. Yot they 
themselves stay months at a time with th- s* mo class woman." III. CONCLUSIONS 
Certain impressions, suspicions, end Inferences arise from the dots and 
oro tho subject natter of this section. Thoy lock tho factual surety of tho 
main findings given in a previous section. Tho difficulty tilth the mein find- 
ings as given is that thoy so!!dor. prove a causa?, relationship, thoy merely state 
what tho relations are. For example, it is quite clear that tho use of liquor, 
froquont intercourse, and poorer prophylactic practices are associated positive- 
ly. A man who drinks tends to uso poor prophylactic practices in his interior 
ccurso, and he has intercourse frequently- But this association does not indi- 
cate which, if any, of the three is ceusativo of the other two. Perhaps there 
is another factor still unexplored and unroported in the study which is truly 
causal. 
This is not to impugn, the value of tho study; scorer or later an investi- 
gator needs to know the relationships in as oxoct a form as possible so that 
shoor trial and error or planned trial and error (experimental) procedures can 
show him what causes what. This is the ultimate path to control, whether tho 
problem is one in physics or one in society, such as tho problem of VD control. 
Occasionally tho statistics of relationship, as'presented in this study, 
give some immediate duos as to what is causing what, thus enabling tho person 
charged with an action program like that of controlling VD to abandon certain 
procedures os being unrelated and to attempt centre?, through others .without all 
tho previous planned trial and error which would be desirable if thoro wore lots: 
of time and money and if human values could bo ignored completely. 
When 3 out of 4 soldiers engage in any given activity which tho Army "would 
liko to control, the problem is numerically staggering, Uhon it is an activity 
which is approved by the group as a whole, not only by a man for himself but foi 
tho other fellow too, this powerful social sanction makes the activity almost 
uncontrollable, This is tho apparent situation with-regard to sexual intorcourr 
amoung those overseas men, Tho normal (in tho sense of civilian) 
intercourse is missing except as Gnu is reminded'by memories or by letters. It 
has boon shown for instance, that having a love.1 sweetheart somewhere else is 
not a powerful deterrent for oil the men overseas, "'Ithough it is for a minority 
Undor normal conditions this is one of tho most powerful of sanctions, loading 
to abstinence from intorcoursj with other women, 
Thoro is a now sot of accepted "rights” and "wrongs" in this overseas sit- 
uation: it is right to J'avc intercourse with any available woman, it is not 
wrong to get VD unless ore fails to go on sick call, it is wrong to punish a mar 
for VD (ovon for repeated offenses, tho men are divided ir. their judgements a- 
botit punishing tho offender), it is right to pay fa* intercourse (thoro is no 
insistence that it bo on tho civilian basis of ;t least affection, if not love), 
it is no disgrace to carry prophylactic equipment a id oth ,rs have a right to re- 
mind you to carry it. It scorns not at all unlikely that tho majority would fa“ 
vor Army operated or co houses of prostitution had the question been 
asked, since 31 per cent of the men volunteered this es r solution to tho prob- 
lem of VD while overseas. What is "right" or "wrong" in the soldier'* view depends a lot on what tho 
civil population will toleratoc Tho particular population in vjhich those MTCQSA 
soldiors novo is quit© tolerant of sexual contncts between soldiers and civil- 
ians. Any soldi or in tho Theater. of ary color, can probably relate dozens of 
instances when he was publicly approached by women or by nolo procurers. It is 
quite common in sono Itnliui cities to seo snail boys bargaining cenpotitively 
with each other before n soldier in hopes of accomplishing ■ contact between tho 
soldier ■-'nd a wo nan* The boys frequently call eye si is their sister, end recit ■ 
loudly her numerous physical charms, 
Should a soldier merely want feualo companionship, this may bo easily had 
if companionship moans' merely boii.g with a woman* han0 write- that they just war 
to dance with, talk to, or bo with a woman rs :: change fror the eternal male so- 
ciety of the Army. Here again he is almost completely frustrated for a variety 
of reasons British or American Array girls are so few in number that he cannot 
hope to win one of them as a companion if oven for one night a week* Also, it 
may become an entangling alliance in case ho is one of the 50 per cent who are 
married or of tho additional 2C per cent who have "loyal" sweethearts waiting at 
homo,. If he then turns to an loalian girl for comp rionsl lp: he generally finds 
himself unable to talk to her beyond a few simple expressions. If ho maintains 
the companionate or non-intercourse approach tc the relationship, ho is almost 
surely a frustr* tod urn, and if ho is tempted to shift the relation to a sexual 
one, ho probably finds less resistance than ho was accustomed to in his pro-Arm; 
experience. None of this *.& wmibbon in to:ms of "guilt” or "propriety"; these 
seem to bo tho facts of the situation, 
Tn this now social situation, it can bo said, that it Is the peculiar man 
who refrains from intercourse "f wo look at the savior from a strictly numer- 
ical point of view, for the groat majority have ir.tercorrsc (73 per cent of 
whites; 96 per cent of I'oproor.) m There is no one characteristic that describe; 
the man vjho refrains. This study shows a series of "more likely*s’,’" none of 
them very largo, Tho abstainer is more likely to h >: 
(1) Mr rriod 
(2) A Protestant church member 
(3) Older ' 
(4) Overseas a short time 
(5) More highly id 
(6) Temperate in his use of liquor 
(7) Interested in tours, school or job tr-~. i.m , and clubs 
Tho man at tho other extreme, the one who has intercourse at least three 
tiraos a month, is somewhat more likely to bo; 
(1) Unmarried 
(2) Younger 
(3) A non-church goer 
(4) Overseas a long time 
(5) Less v’all eduated 
(6) More inclined to drink (7) Int os tod in finding a woman and liquor when on p~ss, staying 
overnight in town, going to dances or parties, 
(8) Inconsistent i his use of a* given prophyl".otic procoduro 
(9) Less inclined to worry about getting VD than oJhpr who have 
intercourse . * 
(10) Toes stern Jv his attitude toward gold-brick;ng, ATV0L,; or falling 
to go on sick call when infected. 
. It is not ignorance of VD information th- t ~ccount's for the difference in 
the behavior of the men, nor d is int or os t in the VD educational program that tho 
Army uses, Tho movies and talks are endorsed ry the majority of men, including 
those who have ho intercourse at all. It is as though the men wore saying, 
"Thinks for tho information, I need it when I hero intercourse over hero. How- 
ever, I may or may not pay attention to it.” 
The brief excursion into personality factors indicated that the onos exam- 
ined here had little or no influence on the orient to which non had intercourse. 
Those were tho questions on: I feel that others don1t liko mo, I can’t get a— 
long with men in my company, I'm usually in low spirits, I dislike my Army job, 
etc. It may be that a more intensive analysis of :.un who are having intercourse 
would show hoe; they differ in personality from men who abstain, especially those 
few men who are having intercourse, very frequently - every day or twice a day. 
Such man might indeed have deeply rooted psychological difficulties or diffcr- 
one os, 
However tho men in this study arc. not having an unusual amount of inter- 
course qt all for men of thoir average age (26 years),' Any man of age 26, and . 
certainly any married men in the Theater (70 per cert),'can rightfully feci that 
he is being cheated sexually by this overseas situation, which is not of his mol- 
ing. Tho steady rise in frequency of intercourse with tir.io overseas gives cre- 
dence to this notion of being cheated from tho sex 1: 1 , which society teught hir 
was his as soon as ho become a man. Furthermore, o Jy 10 per cent of all those 
men ore having intoroourso at least once r week, ich c :rtainly is not an indi- 
cation of anything liko abnormal sexual activity. The average frequency of once 
to twice per month is certainly not high if wo can hazard‘guesses as to tho pro- 
bable frequency of int recourse for this group of men if they woro in normal civ- 
ilian lifGt, 
Tho suggestions to this point can bo sumrSrlzed b-r saying that wo, as inves- 
tigators, should look upon intoroourso as perfectly normal for men in this over- 
seas situation* In view of tho fact th't 3 out of 4 white SM’havo intoroourso, 
tho Army would make a mistake in cither charging those men with sexual abnormal- 
ity or in treaming them as such. 
This loaves tho problem of VD still untouched. The study shows that any mart 
who has intercourse is a potential VD problem, which vr s obviously true, but thsT* 
thoso who have most frequent intoroourso do not_ have proportionately higher TrD 
rates, which is not obviously truo. This suggests th t men who have most fre- 
quent intercourse a aj no mere in need of prophylactic education than others. The present educetione1 program of repeated lectures, discussions, end mov- 
ies until the men Icrm th material, with periodic r hnforcomont of this know- 
ledge by nev; movies or new' lecture notorial seems satisfactory to the greet mess 
of the' men. They say the movies and talks ere OK or better, which should bo ap- 
prove! enough regardless of prot )Stz from the minority fthis study shows very 
few objectors to the VD program). 
The men’s remarks os to v?hy they would not use ony given prophylactic pro- 
cedure, os contained in section 4, or ;--y re:, rhs which might bo obtained in 
the future when now Pro-Kits or come other device are being tested), should bo 
inspected for suggestions loading to-possible t chhical cha gos. Their unfound 
fears about sterility, kidney blocks, etc.,, should h answered by those truly * 
most competent - the re died officers, not just any coeye v officer. Likewise, 
the men’s unfounded hopes that a now drug is the answer to the whole problem (2£ 
per cent of the men said penicillin will cure all cases of Gonorrhea and Syph- 
ilis) should bo quickly countered by the truth. 
Providing diversionary activities end facilities is dl well and good, es- 
pecially for men who h .vo little or no intercourse. That is what they need and 
want. To assume that this will also reach the IB per cent in the highest fre- 
quency of intercourse group and divert then is probably misleading; tho data on 
what they do on pass and what facilities they wad indicate that what they want 
most is something tho Army docs not supply • women s ratal purposes„ 
There is no evidence an t.rmls study that tho problem of froquon.t intercourse 
and VD stems from leek of mi /.re ionary activities.. This conclusion in no way 
can. bo interpreted -s o/ciunj a failure t< pr-vrid , th. men with as many act iv- 
ities and facilicl .e as i _-ssiblOo It may he ■» b.aa ant jrcourse and VD rates wo-ill 
mount rapidly without them because non who ar- nov; diverted would no longer be 
diverted. It may be, too, that some of the men in the riddle groups would have 
oven less frequent int ire curse if more facilities :i >t j provided, Tho point is 
that there is a largo number of men who want, first, women,and liquor, and thon 
in the many hours - f fr ;o time that remain_ access to other activities. 
This report Im-s failed to show any major ways in which VD might bo reduced 
anoung soldiers within the framework of th- Army’s present control policy, Tho 
present efforts should be continued if ground is not to bo lost in tho fight for 
control of VD, It is conceivable t>*'t minor reductions in VD ratos mightbo ac- 
complished by discovering ways to bring group pressure or soldier opinion to bonV 
against men who contract VD, There was evidence reported by some company office 
to the effect tbrt VP rates in their companies dropped considerably after com- 
mittees for vD centre.!. ■ re Get up amour g the ELI thorns lives; Th so committees 
then brought heavy censure upon men who broke the Company-1 o VD record, inquired 
into the circumstances, and took stops to soo that ..o further infections occurod 
There is a big stop that could bo takon toward reducing VD, but it lies out 
side the' present policy of th : Army in controlling I'D, That step is tho. reduc- 
tion of VD in tho civil-an population of the Theater, It is perfectly obvious 
that if our soldiers enter tho Theater free of VD, and that if tho HP’s and civ- 
ilian authorities work together to eliminate VD from prostitutes, as they are doing in sono places, thoro still mst bo an important source of infection which 
is neglected. That source is the Italian male. In many parts of Italy there 
are free facilities available for infected women but there arc few if any for 
men. The present campaign in many cities to eliminate VD from prostitutes is 
bound to fnil sc long as they have sexual contact with husbands, pimps, sweet- 
hearts, or Italian men who have the purchase price and who carry VD that 
is virtually unchecked. 
If it is considered impossible to set up such a VD control program, aimed 
not only at the female but at the Italian male as well, then the suggestion of 
a great many EM has considerable merit; sot up GI houses where the women arc 
kept ~s clear of VD as is possible by either direct Army action or at least by 
Army control through civilian agencies using Army medical supplies. Those wo- 
men would h-'vo to bo rochockod after every contact with civilian males, if the 
situation wore not exclusively for GI?.a, Fcr many of the men who establish per- 
manent, semi-permanent or temporary relations with a civilian girl, medical ex- 
amination and treatment for VD should do provided upon the reguest of a soldier, 
and without any prejudice. 
The problem of providing billets for men on pass enters here. If it is 
supposed that tho Army can net conciovably t°kc any steps for examining or 
treating thoicivilian population, it might still ' elp the soldier to meet tho 
Army’s prophylactic standards (”1150 a rubber; take '• Pro”). A'soldier who has 
no Clean place to go with a girl, where thmro is running water, cannot take a 
Pro, as they sometimes remark* 
Tho stops for eliminating VD in tho civil:’an population would bo the big 
stops in controlling TD, As tho situation now a ands fcr white EM, it can b " 
expected that 4 cases of VD will appear rather rblentljssly for each 1000 sex- 
ual, contacts in a population as highly infected is that of Italy. With ex- 
posure rates mounting as troops have less and less to occupy their time, the 
outlook for reducing rates markedly within tho pr )sert policy is not encour- 
aging.