Evening star., 1946-04-08
Congressmen Hedge
On the Draft Issue
Writer Says Army Faces
Condition, Not Theory
BY David Lawrence

>
Congress has been dawdling along on
| the matter of extending the draft law.
| This being political year, the members
do not like to face the antagonism Of
the families affected.
The draft has never been an easy issue
to meet politically. That's why, even
during the war emergency, but before
| Pearl Harbor, the House of Representa-
tiVes in 1941 came within one vote OF
abandoning the statute
The United States Army, however, Is
| confronted today not with a theory but
! condition. 1t isn't a question of
whether young men, or middle aged, or
any one class should be drafted, but
what shall be done to get the requisite
number for overseas duty and for
training.
Under the leadership Of Secretary Of
War Patterson, the Army has endeav-
ored to set forth its minimum require
ments. Gen. Eisenhower vouches for the
figures needed for the Army and ground
forces and Gen. Spaatz has calculated
what the Air Forces will require.
The goal is to reduce the entire Army
and Air Forces to about 100000 men by
July, l947. This is what the War De-
partment feels is its minimum require
ment. Out of this total the Air Forces
want 100000 men.
Air Quota Reasonable"
The figures for the Air Forces particu-
larly are reasonable, considering the i'm
portance Of air power today. The total
of 100000 is not large for a transition
period, nor is it big compared to the
forces maintained by Russia, which are
believed to be at least five times that
number.
The War Department has been &C
| cused OF trying to use the extension Of
the draft as the entering wedge for con-
scrlptlon. There appears to be no basis
for such a suspicion. Thus Secretary
Patterson has said that he has no objec-
ton to provlso in the extension of
the draft law which states that as long
as personnel requirements are being met
| BY the volunteer system, nobody shall be
lnducted.
The truth is the presence of the draft
law acts as a stimulant to recruiting.
The young man who is inducted under
the draft law cannot be sure of the
length Of time he will be in service. The
volunteers have the advantage of being
able to specify 18 months as the limit
Of their service
The Army chiefs think that as long
as they have the draft law on the
statute books they can fill quotas by
volunteers. Physical standards have
been lowered and the AZ must really be
physically handicapped to be rejected
nowadays.
War Department ION Spot"
The War Department has been up
against charge that the extension
| OF the draft law is related to it's pro-
posal for universal military training
The answer to this is that under none
OF the bills providing for military train
ing can any boy be sent out of the
country, or made part of the Regular
Army.
Why does the Army want a total of
| 100000 by July, I947? The answer is
that the tasks assigned to the Army
include duty in occupied countries,
both in Europe and the Far East. as
we'll as the maintenance of a trained
air force for national defense. Like
wise, it would appear that, in order to
make available for the use of the
United Nations in emergencies a SUBJ
stantlal force. the United States must
be ready to send an overseas expedition
to help maintain order and prevent the
development of another world war.
The size of the Armv-namelv,
,O00-ls predicated on the idea that
peace treaty will be consunlnated. that
the United Nations will be effective. and
! that occupation tasks will not soon be
finished but will require at least two
or three years.
Sentiment on Capitol Hill has been
cool to the idea of extending the Sc
lectlVe service law, but it is veering to-
ward the adoption of plan to prolong
the term Of the statute at least until
the spring of 1947. 1t is probable that
boys who have just become l8 will be
included within the draft as of the
day the law is passed Draft quotas.
however, will be low if volunteers en-
| list in adequate numbers.
Decentralization