The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1951-03-01
Washington Report
BY United States Senator Herbert
r. O'Conor

Declaring its belief that there is
a clear necessity for program of
Universal Military Training and Ser
vice" the Senate Committee on
Armed Services has submitted its re-
port on military manpower proposals
Under the proposals, it is unlikely,
despite the recommended reduction i'm
the draft age to Is years, that any rs
year-oldS will get into combat before
their 10Th year.
So many safeguards are set up in
the Armed Services Bill, to insure
that "all available" manpower in the
10 through 25 age group is exhausted,
that these, combined with the further
regulations that those who are lS
years, II months must be taken first.
then those who are Is years, 10
months. etc, it would seem most inn
probable that any men under 10 will
see action.
Among the screening" processes
which the Committee suggests are:
l. Re-checl, of all AZ deferments
in the under 2G year group.
,. Combing of thus under 2G group
with respect to industrial or other eX-
cmptions heretofore, to include mar
ried men without children;
s. Lessening of physical require
ment to permit inductionS of limited
service, etc.
In addition, it is pointed out that
up to two months additionally must,
be allowed for transportation, to the
point that plus four months of actual
training, the chances of an inductee
seeing active service before his 10Th
birthday is almost nil.
Marking basic change in our
country's approach to military pre-
paredness, the Senate Committees
Report was the elimination of
lengthy hearings at which military
leaders, educators, representatives of
student and other youth organizations
and of various civic groups, as we'll
as individuals, were given opportunity
to voice their views in the matter.
Other points stressed in the Armed
Services Committee Report which de-
serve note, are:
/. The Committees conviction that
the necessity for defending this ma
ton is a universal duty. There
fore. universally, not selectivity,
should be the basis Of assignment for
military duty.
,. There is no sanction or oppor-
tunity for "draft-dodging" in the
bills provisions. For example, while
the Committee felt the necessity to
provide broad authority for local
boards to defer men now training to
be doctors or to permit defel1al Of an
ample number of young men for
special study and research in scien-
tific fields, no individuals or groups
totally escape the obligations for mill
tary service.
3. Those men who enter the college
training program must complete basic
training before or during college and,
upon graduation, are still obligated to
complete the full term of military ser
vice required.
The Report stressed the conviction
that calling of young men at the age
of IS imposes the minimum impact
upon his life and upon the life of the
community.
While the bill extends the term of
service i'm the Army five months, the
Committee expressed the belief that,
although necessary at the present
time. this 26 month term should not
he a fixed long term policy. The 20
months program will give the service
the benefit, it is believed, of sub
stantially longer period of peak eff
fciencv from the inductees than IS the
case at present.
Talk with Congress Desirable
Agreement has been reached among
Executive and Congressional leaders
that President Truman should con-
suit with Congressional Committees
i'm sending additional troops TO
Europe before actual war develops, a
point on which laid insistence in dis
cussing this matter on the Senate
Floor recently
The Resolution to be offered jointly
by the Chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations and Armed Ser
vices Committees would approve the
dispatch of additional troops to
Europe by the President but declares
if TO be the "sense of the Senate that
! he consult with the Foreign Relations
and Foreign Affairs and Armed Ser
vices committees of both Senate and
Honse before sending additional units
to Europe.