Evening star., 1948-03-27
Congress 10 Get
Draft and UNIT
In One Measure
Army Suspends Order
For Retirement of
Overuge Officers
By John A. Giles

Temporary selective service
and universal military training
will be wrapped up in one bill to
be presented to- Congress late
next week by the National De-
fense Establishment, it was
learned today.
The new, one-package measure
was suggested by several Senators
who have been concerned lest Presi-
dent Truman's double request for
the temporary draft and UNIT may,
have killed the possibility of enact
ment of the long-range training
program.
Military leaders expressed hope
that the proposed new law would be
enacted before the Italian elections
April 18.
Overage Officers Stay on.
Meanwhile, the Army-looking
forward to getting additional en-
listed personnel in line with re-
quests made to Congress-announce
that it had suspended a circular re-
leasing all Reserve and National
Guard officers on active duty who
had passed the age limit set for
their grade. This had the effect of
freezing" approximately 4,200 Off
GERS in that category.
| At the same time, the Army also
suspended a two-month-old order
which allied for mastering out of all
officers holding temporary commits
sions in the Army of the United
States who are not qualified or have
not applied before April 80 for a
permanent commission. Personnel
officers were unable to estimate how
many would be affected but said it
might run between 10000 and $4,000.
When Secretary of Defense Forfe-
stal and other military leaders ap-
peared before the Senate Armed
Services Committee Thursday he
told the group that Maj. Gen. John
Dahlquist, Army deputy personnel
chief, was present to answer ques-
tions about the proposed temporary
selective service law to draft men
between the ages of 10 and 26. Gen.
Dahlquist answered some general
questions but no definite suggested
legislation was presented.
The military leaders, it was
learned today, went back to the
Pentagon to wrap both UNIT and
selective service in one bill. This
tactic is aimed at forestalling argu-
ment that temporary draft was
a substitute for UNIT.
Would Have to Take a Stand.
| Some Congress members who
have seen the temporary selective
service law as a possible out from
placing themselves on record for or
against UNIT, would have to take
a stand on the long-range program
as we'll under the new strategy.
Military leaders who are sold or
UNIT and had feared that the
Chief Executives proposal for a
temporary draft had pretty well
killed the possibility of it's passage
were said to believe that there was
a good chance of obtaining passage
of the new combination bill.
They pointed out that the long
range UNIT and the short-term
draft were designed to accomplish
ultimately the same thing-the re-
building of the Nations armed
forces-and that they should be
considered at the same time.
The request for the one-package
bill caused another delay in the
presentation of suggested legisla-
tion. The military chieftains had
decided on what was needed in the
way of temporary selective service
law, and UNIT legislation already is
before both houses of Congress.
The new combination measure, 1t
was said, should be enacted before