Word: drafting
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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PRESIDENT NIXON'S demand last week for congressional action on his draft-revision bill was adapted from a scenario inspired by Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird. More than anyone else in the Administration, Laird worries about the possible consequences of the autumnal unrest planned by student anti-Pentagon groups. With the opening of school approaching, Laird recently counseled the President to apply pressure for passage of the draft-revision bill submitted to Congress last May. It may be too late to get action this year, but Laird figures that at least students will know that the Administration wanted...
...highlight the Administration's concern further, Nixon announced that he was suspending draft calls for November and December. He said that the 29,000 already scheduled to be called in October would be spread out over the next three months. Nixon explained that the partial withdrawal of U.S. troops from Viet Nam was the reason for the cutback, and that in December, if all goes well, he would review the programmed January call-up for possible cuts. In overall figures, however, Nixon's announcement means only 5,600 fewer draftees in 1969 than last year...
Nixon has never utilized the arm-twisting powers of his office to force Congress into action-not even when his ABM system seemed in danger of defeat. But last week he said that "if Congress fails to act, we will take appropriate executive action" to amend the draft. Trouble is, the most important section of the Nixon bill-that calling for random selection of draftees-is prohibited by the 1967 draft law. It would take congressional action to change this...
...Draft the youngest first "so that a young man would become less vulnerable rather than more vulnerable to the draft as he grows older...
...Reduce draft vulnerability from seven years to one. Accordingly, young men would normally become eligible at 19. By the time they reached 20, they could be reasonably sure of being draft-free-unless there were a major emergency...