HEADQUARTERS, Eighth Army, in Korea, Jan. 28 ––– Qualified officers here said today that there was no narcotics problem among troops of the Eighth Army.

Brig. Gen. L. Holmes Ginn Army Surgeon, said only the barest minimum of cases had come to light --- "a number that would be just about average for a quiet community at home." The general's records showed hospitals under his command, which includes facilities for the bulk of troops serving in Korea, admitted five narcotics users since the beginning of November.

The general made it clear where ever there were large bodies of men gathered together there would be some use of illicit drugs

But he added that in the Eighth Army there was no evidence that narcotics had any popularity except among a few case-hardened users.

SEOUL, Korea, Jan. 28 (UP) Two American soldiers were convicted on narcotics charges today shortly after an Army spokesman said in Tokyo that there, was a "narcotics problem" among United States troops, but that it was "not alarming." One of the convicted soldiers said he had first started using narcotics in Korea after he was "led astray" by two other soldiers.

 Cardinal Spellman, who had visited the Korean front, said Monday night that "a frightfully high number" of American soldiers in Korea were victims of narcotics addiction, he indicated that the cases of addiction had originated in the United States.

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