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estate matters. Mr. Vinson, in behalf of the majority, has selected Mr. Rivers, chairman, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Hardy. Mr. Short has selected Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Bates for the minority.

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the appointment of the Subcommittee on Acquisitions and Disposal of Real Estate stands approved as read.

Mr. SMART. Item No. 8 is the approval of an Air Force classified project.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, members of the committee, no doubt you. have already received classified information from Mr. Kelleher showing what aircraft ordnance will be placed at different bases throughout the country. It is highly classified. If there is no particular inquiry from any members of the committee, as it is very important, I suggest that the full committee approve it.

Mr. VAN ZANDT. You say we have received it?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes; it has been circularized.

Mr. KELLEHER. No, sir; because of its classification it was not circularized.

The CHAIRMAN. Oh, it has not been. I was in error.

Mr. KELLEHER. It would be impossible to send it around.

The CHAIRMAN. We will have to consider that, then, in executive session.

Mr. SMART. We might go into a brief executive session at the close of this matter and dispose of it, Mr. Chairman, as it is a matter of some importance.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Mr. SMART. That leads me to the final item, Mr. Chairman, the sad note, and that is the committee fund is now in bankruptcy. Mr. ARENDS. I expected that.

Mr. SMART. If everybody will help out to the extent of $5, maybe I can pay some of our bills.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, that organizes the committee. I sincerely trust that every member will do his level best to be here, because this is going to be a very important session. We have many important bills.

Now, I am going to ask Mr. Brooks, as soon as the full committee gets through with the consideration of the selective-service law, to begin hearings on the Reserve. I am going to ask Mr. Kilday, as soon as the committee has finished the extension of the draft, that his subcommittee go to work. So we probably will have those two subcommittees considering these two important bills at the same time. And I do hope that every member who can find it convenient will take it upon himself to attend either one of these two subcommittee hearings, because it is highly important that we get the pay bill and that we get the Reserve bill considered at the earliest possible date.

Now, next Monday I am asking the committee to meet for the purpose of considering the extension of the draft, Monday morning at 10 o'clock. So I hope every member will be here. It will be an open session.

Now let the committee go in executive session, as we have one matter that is important, and tomorrow morning we will meet at 10 o'clock for Secretary Wilson and Admiral Radford.

(Whereupon, at 10:35 a. m., the committee went into executive session.)

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FULL COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON H. R. 3005 "TO FURTHER
AMEND THE UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING AND SERVICE
ACT BY EXTENDING THE AUTHORITY TO INDUCT CERTAIN
INDIVIDUALS, AND TO EXTEND THE BENEFITS UNDER THE
DEPENDENTS ASSISTANCE ACT TO JULY 1, 1959"

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES,

Tuesday, February 1, 1955. ·

The committee met at 10 a. m., Hon. Carl Vinson, (chairman) presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. Let the committee come to order.

Members of the committee, the purpose of the hearing this morning is to consider H. R. 3005.

(The bill is as follows:)

[H. R. 3005, 84th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL To further amend the Universal Military Training and Service Act by extending the authority to in iuct certain individuals, and to extend the benefits under the Dependents Assistance Act to July 1, 1959

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That subsection 17 (c) of the Universal Military Training and Service Act (ch. 144, 65 Stat. 87), as amended, is further amended by striking out "July 1, 1955" where it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 1959”.

SEC. 2. Section 16 of the Dependents Assistance Act of 1950 (ch. 922, 64 Stat. 797), as amended by the Act of March 23, 1953 (ch. 8, 67 Stat. 6), is further amended by striking out "July 1, 1955" where it appears therein and inserting in lieu thereof "July 1, 1959".

The CHAIRMAN. This is a bill extending what is usually referred to as the Draft Act, technically the Universal Military Training and Service Act, for a period of 4 years. It expires on July 1, 1955. It is essential for the defense of this country that this law be extended. So the hearing this morning is for that purpose, and also, at the same time, we will consider the extension of the Dependents Assistance Act, which expires at the same date.

Now, I think it might be-Are any of these new members here? Mr. BLANDFORD. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. I think it is important that I just make a little statement as to the historical background of the Selective Service. It won't take but a minute.

The old Selective Service Act of 1940 expired on June 30, 1947, and 1 year later the President asked for a new law, stating that voluntary enlistments had failed to maintain the Armed Forces at a level consistent with the national safety.

So on June 24, 1948, the present law, under which we are now operating, was signed by the President. It was a 2-year law, scheduled to expire on June 24, 1950.

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On June 23, the Selective of 15 days to July 9, 1950. until July 9, 1951.

Service Act was extended for a period
And on June 30, the law was extended

On June 19, 1951, the present law was extended for a period of 4 years, to June 30, 1955.

Now, I thought it might be well for the record to put that information in.

Of course, we have a statement from the President to the effect that we cannot maintain an armed force of more than 1,500,000 men without this act. So it is absolutely imperative that we extend the selective-service law, and that is the purpose of the hearing this morning.

I think, before I call the first witness, that it might be a good idea for Mr. Blandford, the counselor, to explain to the members of the committee, to refresh their minds, and particularly the new members, the pertinent parts of the law.

And Mr. Blandford has prepared a statement to that effect, and I think it would be a good thing for the members of the committee, so you will know exactly what the law is today, and then there will be 2 or 3 instances where I am going to call the committee's attention to certain amendments and no doubt there will be other amendments proposed by witnesses that we will take up tomorrow.

Now, go ahead, Mr. Blandford.

Mr. BLANDFORD. All right, sir.

These are the highlights of the present law:
Every male citizen-

The CHAIRMAN. Read slow enough so every member can follow you and know exactly what you are talking about.

Mr. BLANDFORD. Every male citizen of the United States must register for the draft upon attaining the age of 18. Aliens are also required to register if they have been admitted for permanent residence, and all other male aliens who remain in the United States for 1 year or longer must register.

Persons may be inducted into the Armed Forces after attaining the age of 181⁄2, except that no man under the age of 19 can be inducted if there are persons within the jurisdiction of the local board who are available for induction and who are 19 or over.

At present they are drafting men about the age of 21. That is the general level of the draft age is.

Physical and mental standards are low. They are the minimum standards which were in effect in January of 1945, I might add, the lowest that we have ever had.

Persons inducted must serve for 24 months unless sooner released under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

Individuals who are inducted have a total obligation of 8 years, which means 2 years on active duty and 6 years in the Reserve. Certain people are exempt from registration, such as active members. of the Armed Forces, midshipmen, and cadets.

Now, this is what the law says with regard to veterans: The following persons are considered veterans who must register but are liable for induction: First, any individual who served on active duty for a period of 12 months or more between the period September 16, 1940, and June 24, 1948; second, any person who served on active duty for a period of 90 days or more between December 7, 1941, and

September 2, 1945, referred to as the shooting-war period. Training in the Army specialized training program or similar programs of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, or service at the Naval or Military Academy or Coast Guard Academy is not considered active duty for the purpose of determining whether an individual is a veteran. A person who served for a period of 90 days or more but less than 12 months between the period September 16, 1940, and June 24, 1948, and who is not a veteran because he did not serve for 90 days or more between December 7, 1941, and September 2, 1945, is not liable for induction except in time of war or national emergency, declared by the Congress, if his local board determines he is enlisted or commissioned in an organized unit of his branch and that it is reasonably accessible to such person without interrupting his normal pursuits and activity, including college attendance, or if no organized unit is available, he is a member of a Reserve component of his branch, which would mean a Reverse unit but not an organized unit. Likewise, the local board may hold an individual not liable for induction if the board determines that enlistment or commission in a Reserve component is not available.

Now, this is significant: The only other veterans by law are those persons discharged from the Armed Forces after June 24, 1948, with 3 or more years of active duty to their credit. Theoretically, persons released from active duty under the present draft law who have been inducted since June 24, 1948, are not veterans under the definition of the Universal Military Training and Service Act. However, they undoubtedly could not be reinducted, since they have complied with the law under which they were originally inducted, if they served for a period of 24 months, unless sooner discharged under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

Some individuals with less than 6 months of service have, however, been reclassified under a Presidential directive and reinducted under the present law. That is only applicable, however, so far, to people inducted under the present law who have served for less than 6 months.

Now, those people in many cases were released for hardship reasons, and then when they got home the hardship disappeared and they were out of the service, and therefore the President directed the local boards to reclassify these individuals, and in some cases they have been reinducted.

Now, that has also been true on hardship cases, not through the process of a Presidential directive but because the local boards have been advised of a change in the situation.

Mr. FISHER. It is also true, isn't it, in regard to those discharged through disability but whose disability was corrected subsequently? Mr. BLANDFORD. That could be true, Mr. Fisher. Whether they have actually inducted anybody whose physical condition has improved to the extent where he can then serve, I do not know. There may well be.

The CHAIRMAN. Members of the committee, at this point I am going to suggest that we take up, when General Hershey is testifying, this provision. I think it should be amended. I won't trespass on the time now, but we will bring it up at that point.

Mr. BLANDFORD. Well, I was going to mention, Mr. Chairman, that you were going to propose an amendment that no person who has

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