Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-26
|Dykstra Sees Proof
OF viri|e Democracy
In Draft Operation
SeIective Service Director
Tells Forum Audience
Of Benefits Expected

| LII. SAda CAANC xAs 10y h6tA a. AAabAOA4oA
director of selective service, told OF
the benefits to be expected from
this new venture in Ame ica's de-
tense program last night in an adj
dress presented in the National Ra-
dio Forum and arranged by The
Star. The talk, on "Selective Serv-
ice," was broadcast over a national
hookup of the National Broadcast
ing Co., and was heard locally over
Station WMAL.
The text of DR.. Dykstra's address
follows:
With the memory of Americas
unpreparedness in 1917 still fresh
in their minds, the Sixty-sixth Con-
gress of the United States passed the
National Defense Act of 1920.
That act provided for the training
of Reserve officers and, as result,
we have today over 100000 men in
the Offlcers' Reserve Corps.
That act also provided that 1t
shall be the duty Of the War De-
partment general staff to prepare
plans in conjunction with the naval
forces for the mobilization of the
manhood of our Nation.
Selective Service Committee Formed.
Under that provision, the Secre-
tary of War and the Secretary of
the Navy, in 1926, created joint
Army and Navy Selective Service
Committee. The function of that
committee was to be the prepara-
ton of plans for the emergency
procurement of men for our land
and naval forces. The committee
was composed of representatives OF
the Secretary of War and the Sec
rotary of the Navy.
With the help of a small group
of officers who had been in the
selective service administration dur
ing the World War, the committee
planned a course Of research and
study and inaugurated a series OF
annual conferences.
Each year Army, Navy and Ma
rine Corps officers, together with an
increasing number of Reserve Off
GERS from all over the country, at
tended these conferences, continu-
ally revising old plans and framing
new ones.
From a very small beginning, Sc
lective service study and research
was developed so that at the begin
ming of 1910 there were some TOO Of
ficers in the Army, Navy and Marine
Corps. in the Reserves and in the
National Guard, who were especially
trained in selective service. A de-
tailed national plan for the opera
ton of selective service had been
worked out, and individual plans
were also available for each of the
48 States, for the District of Co.
lumbia, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto
Rico.
Outline Plan Ready for Crisis.
Early this year, when the Amer
lean people first began to grow ap-
prehensive about the safety and
future of our American way of life
and our American institutions, they
were surprised and gratified to learn
that the joint Army and Navy Sc
lective Service Committee had an
outline plan for the emergency pro-
curement of men for our land and
naval forces, with a maximum Of
efficiency, economy and equity. and
with a minimum of disturbance to
the social, economical, industrial and
agricultural life of our Nation.
In 1917 selective service was Gre
ated and put into execution hur-
riedly and under the terrific pressure
of then current events; but, as we
look back, we can agree that it was
based on such sound principles that
despite many handicaps it proved
itself to be one of our most success
full undertakings
The experience of the 1917 selec-
tive service draft and the IA years
of study and research that produced
our present selective service system
are in some degree responsible for
the enactment of the Selective
Training and Service Act of 1910
and certainly for its successful op-
Grafton to date.
On September IA, 1910, the act
passed the House and Senate by a
vote of nearly to l.
On September 16 President Roose-
welt signed it and issued a procla-
nation for a national registration
of men between the ages of 81 and
So to be held on October 16.
More Than $1,000, 900 Registered.
On that day over 100000 volun-
tary workers acted as registrars in
more than 125, 900 registration places
in all sections of our country.
Over 100000 men were regis
tered. At the same time, more than
$500 local boards had already been
set up and were ready to function.
Over 5000 Government appeal
agents and examining physicians
and over Is 900 local board members
were in process of being appointed
and were about to begin their task
of numbering and classifying the
more than 100000 registration
| cards.
Less than two weeks after regis
tration day, the national lottery
was held here in the Nations Cap
ltal to determine the order in which
the Nations man power would be
considered for selective service.
Immediately thereafter, the proc
ess of classification and selection
was begun, and last Monday, week
ago, just two months and two days
after the Selective Training and
Service Act of 1910 became law, the
first contingent marched away to
camp for year of training in the
service of their country.
BY next July the selective service
process will have indicted 100000
men into the trained reserves of
our citizen army.