Resolved, by the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, in annual convention assembled at Atlantic City, N.J., this 27th day of June 1958: That "(1) Section 17 (c) of the Universal Military Training and Service Act (62 Stat. 625), as amended, be further amended so that all the authority to induct persons into the Armed Forces now provided by that act will be extended until July 1, 1963; and "(2) That the Reserve Officers Association of the United States use all of its efforts and influence to this end." TESTIMONY ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE U.S.A., JANUARY 29, 1959 To the Members of the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives: We call your attention to the following statement relating to the proposed extension of the Universal Military Training and Service Act of 1950, prepared by the department of social education and action under authorization of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. We trust that this statement can be included in the record of the hearings now being held by the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives. The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America has consistently opposed universal military training and peacetime conscription, such as the proposed legislation seeks to implement. This position has been upheld by the highest judicatories of both the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the United Presbyterian Church of North America prior to the merging of these bodies a few months ago to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. The United Presbyterian Church has not been wanting in support of the Nation in time of war-even to supporting measures of conscription in time of war. But it has stated and restated its firm opposition to universal military training as a settled policy of the Nation in time of peace. The United Presbyterian Church has stood against the threat of foreign foes. It has also seen the threat to our freedom in costly peacetime conscription and militarism. Appended hereto are pronouncements and recommendations of several general assemblies. These we transmit to your committee as a strong testimony against proposed measures for the continuation of peacetime conscription. U.S.A., 1947.-"We reaffirm our historic position of opposition to peacetime military conscription as constituting a dangerous extension of regimentation by Government, an inadequate measure of defense in an atomic age, and a violation of the spirit of our present determination to secure the multilateral reduction of arms and armies. We reaffirm our historic position in favor of voluntary enlistment to provide the military forces needed for our international commitments and national defense in an atomic age." U.S.A., 1948.-"We believe the most ominous present threat to freedom and the peace of the world lies in the militarization of the nations * This trend toward military domination of our society calls for continued reliance upon democratic voluntary system of national defense. We believe that a system of voluntary recruitment will provide adequate defense if administered by leaders who believe in it. Because of our industrial and military potentialities revealed in the last war, because of our capacity for mobilization, and because of the resources inherent in the voluntary system, we go on record as opposing compulsory military training and the use of the draft in peacetime. We reaffirm the historic position of our church with respect to peacetime military consription." U.S.A., 1949. "We reaffirm our opposition to any form of universal military training or peacetime conscription. The Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., has consistently supported the democratic system of voluntary recruitment. There is genuine peril that our own defense measures may precipitate the very war we fear, and that our free economy will be crushed beneath the intolerable burden of armaments." U.S.A., 1951.-"While acknowledging the necessity in this day for adequate military preparation consistent with our responsibilities under the United Nations, we would remind the church of our repeated opposition to permanent conscription, and commend a constant scrutiny of our military development program by competent civilians." U.P., 1951.-"We continue to voice our opposition to the principle of permanent peacetime conscription under any guise." U.S.A., 1955.—"While we recognize the necessity for military conscription in time of national emergency, we reaffirm the historic position of our church in opposition to peacetime conscription and universal military training. We be lieve that the draft should be extended only as 'the national emergency' warrants, and then for not more than 2 years at a time." DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL EDUCATION AND ACTION, UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. JANUARY 29, 1959. Hon. CARL VINSON, POST WAR WORLD COUNCIL, Chairman, Committee on Armed Service, House Office Building, DEAR MR. VINSON: This morning I heard that able administrator, Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, on the television program, "Today," argue briefly for a 4-year extension of the Selective Service Act. His arguments, as I understood them, confirmed my opinion that the act should not be thus continued. The weight of his argument was not the necessity of conscription to fill the diminishing size of the Army in the age of nuclear warfare, but its value in giving a Government agency control over the lives of all our young men; who should be deferred and what they should do to keep a deferred status; what scientists may have to be called or recalled by peacetime conscription into military service which at present does not pay enough to attract them, and so forth. I am a Socialist believing in social planning, but I am a democratic Socialist who considers this degree of control over all our youth far more consonant with communism or fascism that with any sort of democracy of free men. It is to be justified, if justified at all, only by the magnitude of a danger that can be met in no other way. And that has by no means been proved. Gone from General Hershey's statements were the familiar arguments of advocates of compulsory military service or of selective service as the nearest practical approach to it. No longer is the act commended for the impartiality of the burdens it lays on all youth. It takes 2 years out of the lives of our very best men; physical defects which often do not handicap professional athletes win deferment or exemption; a low IQ is an advantage to the shirker or the hater of conscription. As for the old argument of the character-building effects in the whole community of compulsory military service that is conspicuously refuted by the growth of crime, juvenile delinquency, and the general cult of violence. Neither is there any evidence that selective service stimulates interest in a foreign policy which would give us a security that no armament in a nuclear age can provide. On the contrary the fatalistic acceptance of an indefinite continuance of the military cold war is evident in the demand for a 4-year extension which automatically discourages an intelligent drive for universal disarmament. What General Hershey asks is relief for taxpayers who don't want to pay for the kind of expert military forces nuclear warfare demands. I question, however, whether even here our present system does not add to total costs. Has your committee inquired? To be sure the general also incidentally mentioned good guidance his system gave young men. (So did the Germans laud their system in the days of Kaiser Wilhelm and Hitler.) Some young men may directly or indirectly have been helped rather than hurt. But a democracy knows better ways than conscription. And my own contacts with upstanding young men confirm Adlai Stevenson's statement: "Every young man who has served in our Armed Forces knows the incredible waste of our present system of forced but short-run service." There are better ways. I shall be grateful if you will put this letter into the record. Sincerely yours, NORMAN THOMAS. STATEMENT OF WILLIAM C. DOYLE, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AFFAIRS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMISSION OF THE AMERICAN LEGION Before the House Armed Services Committee in connection with hearings on H.R. 2260 held January 28, 1959 Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the American Legion believes that in the interest of the welfare of the United States of America the induction provisions of the Universal Military Training and Service Act should be extended by the Congress to July 1, 1963. This recommendation is based upon the following resolution, adopted by the 1958 National Convention of the American Legion : Resolution No. 305-"Extension of induction authority under Universal Military Training and Service Act to July 1, 1963." Whereas, section 17 (C) of the Universal Military Training and Service Act (62 Stat. 625), as amended, provides that no person shall be inducted into the Armed Forces under that act ofter July 1, 1959, with the exception of persons whose deferments under section 6 of such act have ceased to exist; and Whereas selective service is based on the accepted principle of the universal obligation and privilege of all citizens to defend this Nation; and Whereas, the impending termination of induction authority under the aforesaid act will leave our Nation without an effective obligation for every young man to serve his country in a military capacity; and Whereas the continuance of authority to induct all persons liable therefor under the aforesaid act is essential to insure the maintenance of the required strength of the Armed Forces since voluntary enlistments in such forces and their reserve components are greatly stimulated and influenced by the mere existence of that induction authority; and Whereas, the existence of full induction authority enables the Selective Service System to (1) insure that the required strength of the active Armed Forces be maintained both directly by inductions and indirectly by stimulating enlistments; (2) to assist in maintaining the required strength of the Reserve Forces by deferring inductions of members who serve satisfactorily, and (3) by classifications deferring induction, to channel men possessing critical skills or the requisite ability to acquire them into essential activities and occupations including engineering, scientific and technical pursuits and teaching, and the study and preparation for such fields; and Whereas, the Selective Service System maintains through registration, an inventory of all men of military age, including the only inventory of veterans no longer in the Armed Forces, who in an emergency might be needed quickly for augmentation of those forces, and keeps current the availability for order to active duty in time of emergency of over a million members of the Standby Reserve; and Whereas selective service has become an integral part of the Nation's defense and the Selective Service System, by its decentralized system of operation through over 4,000 local and appeal boards in every community made up of local citizens, has earned and enjoys the confidence of the overwhelming majority of the American people; and Whereas, the local boards of the Selective Service System in every community of this Nation would render invaluable service in the event of an allout emergency because of their ability to furnish manpower at local levels to any agency authorized to requisition men for specific duties; and Whereas, some 40,000 of the 46,000 full and part-time officers and employees of the Selective Service System have volunteered their services to the Government and receive no compensation; and Whereas the annual cost of operating the Selective Service System is only about 16 cents for every man, woman and child in this Nation; now therefore be it Resolved by the American Legion in national convention assembled in Chicago, Ill., September 1-4, 1958, That section 17 (C) of the Universal Military Training and Service Act (62 Stat. 625) as amended, be further amended so that all authority to induct persons into Armed Forces now provided by that act will be extended until July 1, 1963, and that the American Legion use all of its efforts and influence to this end. Mr. Chairman, it is a well-known fact that the American Legion during its 40 years of service to God and country has supported Universal Military Training for the young men of the United States as a means of maintaining an alert reservoir of trained men to fight for the ideals of our great Nation. Time proved the value of the American Legion's position. Three times in the space of two generations immediate mobilization of our fighting strength has been necessitated to preserve our way of life. We have, in fact, no reason to believe that another immediate mobilization will not be necessitated in the future. On September 13, 1958, Gen. Maxwell Taylor pointed out, in a speech to theUnited States Conference of Mayors: "We are facing a long period of tension wherein our national military posture must be maintained, even at great effort. We have assumed responsibilities as a Nation which we cannot put down. * * *" In the face of Communist imperialism, it is the feeling of the American Legion that a most important part of our military posture is the training of our young men. A few days ago, Charles C. Finucane, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower, came before this committee to request an extension of 4 years for the draft. Mr. Finucane said all branches of service had a firm objective of filling manpower needs by voluntary means. But despite this objective, Mr. Finucane said, the Army needs to draft men to maintain its full authorized strength. Mr. Chairman, it should be pointed out that the documented information from the archives, preserved for future generations by historians of the past, reveals, from Civil War days to present time, that without some form of compulsory induction our Armed Forces have not been able to maintain their required strength. It is said that many of the young men who enlist in various branches of the service do so because of the existence of selective service. In World War I, 31⁄2 months elapsed between the passage of the act of May 18, 1917, and the induction of the first man; and about 4 months elapsed before the System supplied men in substantial numbers. The slogan of World War I was that we "fought the war to end all wars." In 1939. however, we started construction of war plants in preparation of World War II. Then in 1940, came the first peacetime draft, inducting men for 1 year, but most of them stayed for the "duration plus," because of World War II. Under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, 2 months and 2 days was required from the time the act was signed until the first man was inducted on November 18, 1940. Fortunately for the United States, Congress enacted the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. Thousands of men were already in training at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Otherwise, this Nation would have been thrown into World War II totally unprepared. The President recommended on March 3, 1947, that the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 be allowed to expire on March 31, 1947. Within a year the President requested Congress to reenact the law. During that year the Armed Forces with all-out recruiting and many inducements and professional campaigns succeeded in raising and maintaining the largest voluntary force in the Nation's history. Even so, this force numbered only 1,384,500 men. Early in 1948 it became apparent that a force of at least 2,005,882 men was needed for minimum defense of our Nation. In considering the 1948 act, the House Armed Services Committee noted that the Navy and Air Force could maintain their March 1948 strength by voluntary means; the Army could not. When the Secretary of Defense appeared in 1948 before the House Committee on Armed Services he said: "*** Viewing the bill from the standpoint of national security as a whole, the simple fact is that we must have selective service * * *." Mr. Chairman, the American Legion respectfully submits that the situation has not changed since that time. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower has just stated in essence that the same situation now exists with respect to recruitment. So, after a year of attempting to do without a selective service law, the Congress and the Nation came to realize that we could no better afford to be without selective service in a time of "cold war" than in a time of "hot war." The threat which prompted the enactment of the law in 1948 was at that time just emerging. Few would argue that the world is a more secure place today than it was in March of 1948. The nature of the threat presently precludes any or little warning in case of attack. In the event war comes as it is often pictured, a widespread nuclear attack without warning, the Nation's legislative processes very likely would be paralyzed and the authorization of a manpower procurement system would be hampered and delayed. It has been said, Mr. Chairman, that as a byproduct of World War II and the Korean war, we have in the United States some 22,700,000 veterans. Some peo ple argue that this provides an adequate reservoir of trained men. What these people overlook is the fact that over 13 million of them are over 36 years of age. Mr. Chairman, military experts have come before this committee since hearings began in the 86th Congress to plead the case of an extended draft law. The American Legion is the largest veterans' organization in the Nation and we feel compelled to speak for our members on vital matters affecting the general welfare of the United States. The American Legion is grateful to this distinguished committee for this opportunity to express the views of its members, and we respectfully recommend that the Congress extend the power to induct to July 1, 1963, as set forth in H.R. 2260. STATEMENT OF MILITARY ORDER OF WORLD WARS We consider continuation of induction authority necessary to insure that the strengths of the Active and Reserve Forces may be maintained at the levels necessary for national security. It permits us a defense posture in an uncertain world, which assures our allies and friends that we will not desert them and serves notice to possible aggressors of our intentions to remain ready and strong. The Nation's past experience in trying to maintain forces at levels consistent with the requirements of today or the foreseeable future is convincing evidence that the military manpower requirements could not be met without induction of registrants under the Universal Military Training and Service Act and the stimulus the act has on voluntary enlistments. We feel that aside from providing the force in being and the reserve structure necessary for national security the act is responsible for countless peripheral contributions to individual and national well-being. The services of our youth in the Armed Forces fosters leadership, develops character, promotes health and well-being, and creates a greater responsibility of citizenship. These attributes benefit the citizen and are vital to our national welfare. Those who do not serve in uniform and are channeled through deferment into carriers of science, medicine, engineering, and teaching add to the health, safety, and welfare of the Nation. The Military Order of World Wars endorses H.R. 2260 and considers it to be vital to the national security and interest. Accordingly, we respectfully urge your favorable consideration of this vital legislation by this committee. THOMAS H. KING, Chairman, Legislative Committee. MILITARY ORDER OF THE WORLD WARS RESOLUTION Whereas section 17 (c) of the Universal Military Training and Service Act (62 Stat. 625), as amended, provides that no person shall be inducted into the Armed Forces under that act after July 1, 1959, with the exception of persons whose deferments under section 6 of such act have ceased to exist; and Whereas selective service is based on the accepted principle of the universal obligation and privilege of all citizens to defend this Nation; and Whereas the impending termination of induction authority under the aforesaid act will leave our Nation without an effective obligaton for every young man to serve his country in a military capacity; and Whereas the continuance of authority to induct all persons liable therefor under the aforesaid act is essential to insure the maintenance of the required strength of the Armed Forces since voluntary enlistments in such forces and their Reserve components are greatly stimulated and influenced by the mere existence of that induction authority; and Whereas the existence of full induction authority enables the Selective Service System (1) to insure that the required strength of the active Armed Forces be maintained both directly by inductions and indirectly by stimulating enlist |