place to attach social, political, or any kind of legislation. This is a matter that is completely nonpartisan. It must be done for the security and safety of the United States and its 165 million people.40

On June 20, 1955, Hon. Overton Brooks expressed to the House of Representatives his hope that the Reserve legislation would be revived and that the Committee on Armed Services would shortly be able to report a new version which would give the Department of Defense the authority to handle the training of our Reserve Forces properly and efficiently; and further expressed his hope that "this bill can come out and be passed without any opposition.

41

On the same day, Hon. Carl Vinson introduced a new bill, H. R. 6900, "to provide for the strengthening of the Reserve Forces and for other purposes," and it was referred to the Committee on Armed Services. At a meeting of the full committee on June 21, this new Reserve bill was referred, by a vote of 16 to 14, to Subcommittee No. 1 which held hearings under the chairmanship of Hon. Overton Brooks on June 22, 1955.43 As a result of the hearings, a revised bill (which became H. R. 7000) was favorably reported to the full committee by a vote of 11 to 1.

On June 28, 1955, the House Armed Services Committee held hearings on H. R. 7000 and reported the bill favorably by a vote of 29 to 1 with 3 members voting "present." In addition to an analysis of the bill, the committee report to accompany H. R. 7000 contained a description of the items included in the budget estimates for fiscal 1957 through 1959 for the Reserve forces program. 45

When Mr. Brooks rose to explain the purpose of H. R. 7000 on the floor of the House, July 1, 1955, he said that the enactment of the legislation would provide authority to increase the size, strengthen the Reserve Forces, and insure participation in Reserve training. Mr. Brooks explained that

*** we find our Reserve today made up of relatively small groups of volunteers and a large pool of persons having a Ready Reserve obligation, but who are not participating in Reserve training.

The security and best interests of the Nation require that this condition be changed.

It is absolutely essential that our Reserve Forces be built up and strengthened so that they can be effectively utilized if an emergency is declared.

I believe this bill will accomplish that purpose, and at this time I would like to go through the bill so the Members can be advised of its provisions. Before doing so, let me point out that this bill contains no reference to the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard. Neither does any of its provisions repeal, amend, or modify existing law concerning the National Guard. This is a bill which deals only with the Reserve components of the military services.

The National Guard, insofar as this bill is concerned, is left in the exact position it occupies today.46

Another change which should be noted is that the new bill dropped the title of "National Reserve Plan" as well as the general statement of congressional intent. This was because the purpose of strengthening the Reserves could be achieved by amending existing law, and the intent of Congress had already been expressed therein.

43 Subcommittee hearings on H. R. 6900 and H. R. 7000. No. 26. House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, June 22, 1955, pp. 4205-4287.

44 Full committee hearing on H. R. 6277, H. R. 6600, Real-Estate Projects, and H. R. 7000, No. 25, House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, June 28, 1955, pp. 4187-4204.

45 Providing for the Strengthening of the Reserve Forces. House of Representatives, Rept. No. 987, 84th Cong., 1st sess. Report from the Committee on Armed Services to accompany H. R. 7000, June 28, 1955, p. 8.

46 Daily Congressional Record, July 1, 1955, p. 8376 (the full House debate runs from p. 8376 to p. 8405).

On the question of whether or not H. R. 7000 provided for universal military training, Congressman Dewey Short said:

I cannot for the life of me see any UMT in this bill, as it is ***. It [the program] is voluntary. It does give the youth of the land a chance to choose the branch of service they serve in under the Reserve unit of the different services, and it shortens the length of obligated service from 8 years to 6 years.47 Congressman Leslie C. Arends, also an opponent of UMT, said that

This bill *** has none of the elements of UMT. The fact of the matter is that the bill before us actually lessens the military obligation imposed on our youth by the Selective Service Act which we have already voted to extend. It even reduces the degree of compulsion imposed by existing law.48

XII. MAIN FEATURES OF H. R. 7000 AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE

The reported bill consisted of amendments to existing basic laws: The Universal Military Training and Service Act (65 Stat. 75), and the Armed Forces Reserve Act (66 Stat. 481). One of the most significant changes was the proposal to reduce the total military obligation covering active and Reserve service from 8 to 6 years.

The Ready Reserve would be strengthened by increasing its membership from 1.5 million to 2.9 million persons and by emphasizing training programs that would ensure military preparedness. Continuous screening of units and members of the Ready Reserve would be carried out according to regulations prescribed by the President and it would be possible for the Secretary of a military department to transfer men from the Ready into the Standby Reserve. The criteria for the screening process was designed to insure that combat veterans would be transferred out of the Ready Reserve so that they would not be called to active duty a second or third time; that attrition would be avoided among the members or units; that there would be a proper balance of military skills, that essential civilian skills. would be protected; and that notice would be taken of individual cases involving extreme personal or community hardship.

The bill provided that persons who entered the Active Forces after July 27, 1953, were to become members of the Ready Reserve upon their release from active service, and were to be obliged to participate in Reserve training. Those who entered the Active Forces prior to the Korean cease-fire date, however, would not be required to train in the Reserves unless they agreed to do so.

In a national emergency declared by the President, he was authorized to order to active duty not more than 1 million Ready Reservists without further authority from the Congress.

The recall to active duty of members of the Standby Reserve, however, could only be made during a war or a national emergency declared by the Congress, and then only after the Director of Selective Service had determined whether or not the person was available.

Two new means whereby men could become members of the Ready Reserve Forces were made available by the provisions of the bill: (1) A 6-year enlistment directly into the Reserves with the understanding that 2 years would be spent in active service; and (2) an 8-year enlistment in a new program authorized for 4 years, combining 6 months' basic training with 7%1⁄2 years of participation in Ready Reserve training.

47 Ibid., pp. 8381, 8382.

4 Ibid., p. 8385.

(1) The 6-year enlistment directly into a Reserve component (except the National Guard and the Air National Guard) carried with it an agreement by the enlistee that he would accept active duty for 2 years. Thereafter he would become a member of the Ready Reserve for a period of time which would add up to 5 years of active and Reserve service. Thus there would be an inducement for a man to reduce his total military obligation of 6 years to 5 if he participated satisfactorily in the Ready Reserve program.

(2) The 8-year enlistment in one of the Reserve components (except the National Guard and the Air National Guard) would be open to a quota of young men who had not yet reached 18 years of age and had not received a notice to report for induction. This program would be available only until July 1, 1959, and could be started whenever the President found that the authorized strength of the Ready Reserve of the various components was not being maintained. Under such circumstances the President could authorize the acceptance of volunteers, but the quota was not to exceed 250,000 each year. The regulations were to be prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. Young men who volunteered for this program were to be deferred from induction as long as they performed satisfactorily in the Reserve component, but they remained liable for induction until they reached 28 years of age. The program was also available to persons with critical skills who were working in critical industries and research pertaining to defense, regardless of their age at the time they were ordered to report for induction.

The men in this program were to be paid $50 per month during the 6 months they were on active duty for training, and to have other benefits such as hospitalization, subsistence, and travel allowances, but not certain benefits provided by the National Service Life Insurance Act of 1940. These reservists were also eligible for reemployment rights for 60 days after they had completed their 6 months' training. The National Security Training Commission was to advise the President and the Secretary of Defense regarding the welfare of those who took the 6 months' training.

To insure that the members and units of the Ready Reserve would be militarily prepared in a national emergency, the training provisions were specifically set forth in H. R. 7000. The minimum training for any 1 year was to consist of 48 assemblies for drill (or other equivalent periods when authorized by the appropriate Secretary of a military department) plus active duty for training for no more than 17 days. If a reservist elected not to participate in this type of training, he would have the alternative of active duty for training for no more than 30 days each year. If, however, a ready reservist refused to follow either one of the training alternatives, he could be ordered involuntarily for a period of duty not to exceed 45 days each year.

A special provision was written into the bill with regard to qualified graduates of the Army and Air Force ROTC and the Marine Corps platoon leaders' class. They were guaranteed commissions upon graduation, and if they were not needed for active duty for service, they were to be ordered to active duty as officers for 6 months' training. Thereafter they were expected to participate in the training programs of the Ready Reserve, and failure to do so would result in revoking the commissions.

Another proposed amendment to existing law concerned ordained ministers and theological students. Ministers could request a

discharge, and students for the ministry would not be required to serve on active duty or training while they were attending recognized divinity schools.

In order that Congress should be able to keep in touch with the administration and regulation of the various Reserve programs, the reported bill provided that the Secretary of Defense should keep records of those in active duty training and in a drill-pay status. Furthermore, the Secretary of Defense was required to make an annual January report to the President and the Congress on the progress made in strengthening the Reserve Forces.

To these main provisions of the bill, as it was reported by the House Committee on Armed Services, was added one further major feature as a result of the passage of a floor amendment proposed by Hon. Keith Thomson. This amendment, which applied to the 6 months' program, provided that persons who had not finished high school would not be eligible for enlistment until they reached age 19, and would not be eligible after they reached age 20.

49

H. R. 7000 passed the House on July 1, 1955, and then went to the Senate for its consideration.

XIII. SENATE HEARINGS AND ACTION ON H. R. 7000, AS AMENDED

The Senate Armed Services Committee, under the chairmanship of Hon. Richard B. Russell, held hearings on H. R. 7000 on July 7, 8, and 11, 1955. Testimony was heard from Department of Defense officials, civilian and military, from other interested Federal agencies, private organizations and individual citizens concerned with measures. necessary to strengthen the reserve forces.

Both civilian and military officials of the Defense Department testified against the reduction made in the House bill from 8 to 6 years in the total military obligation. Secretary of Defense Wilson said that:

Unless the present 8-year military obligation is continued, our capability of attaining Ready Reserve goals will be seriously jeopardized and delayed indefinitely for several services. In particular, it will become most difficult and perhaps impossible to reach various Ready Reserve strength levels at the times now planned. The immediate and secondary effects of such delays could be most seriously detrimental to our national security as well as to damage the example of defense strength we are striving to set for our allies.50

Opposition was also expressed to the House floor amendment to H. R. 7000 which provided that young men could enter the 6 months' program after they graduated from high school or reached the age of 19, and before they became 20 years old. The Department took the position that this provision would have an adverse effect upon recruiting 4-year volunteers for the Regular Forces, and recommended that the original age limits be restored, that is, from 17 to 181⁄2 years. Assistant Secretary of Defense Carter L. Burgess expressed the concern of the Department over the fact that the National Guard had not been included within the provisions of H. R. 7000 as it passed the House:

It is the firm position of the Department that all Reserve components should be placed on the same basis with respect to minimum standards of initial training "Daily Congressional Record, July 1, 1955, pp. 8376-8405.

A National Reserve Plan. Hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, U. S. Senate. 84th Cong., 1st sess., on H. R. 7000, an act to provide for strengthening of the Reserve Forces, and for other purposes. July 7, 8, and 11, 1955, p. 304.

for young men who will enter directly into Reserve status under terms of draft deferment.51

Although the National Guard Association went on record as not desiring the National Guard to be included in H. R. 7000, the Department of Defense continued to recommend an "approach to the problem of providing a uniform system for training young men who voluntarily enter directly into either the National Guard or the Reserve.'

The Department of Defense continued also to recommend the authorization for States to establish a State militia during time of peace, a provision which was in the original bill but had been omitted in H. R. 7000.52

There was considerable discussion by the committee of the provision which made Reserve training compulsory for prior servicemen. The committee report emphasized that the President's original plan was directed toward the achievement of a

traditional Senate goal-the providing of a flow of trained non-prior-service men into the Reserve units so that such trained men, along with a nucleus of trained prior-service men serving on a voluntary basis, will carry the burden of the Active Reserve, leaving to other prior-service men only their basic obligation of liability for mobilization assignment and recall in time of war or national emergency."

When Senator Russell discussed this point on the floor of the Senate, he said:

A part of the President's plan provided for a flow of trained non-prior-service men into the Reserve components. It would have secured these trainees through voluntary methods, if possible, but if sufficient numbers were not available through voluntary methods, the original plan called for induction to make up for the shortage.

That was, of course, in the nature of a compulsory training-for-service plan. It was not universal in its concept, as was the universal military training and service plan twice reported by the Armed Services Committee and passed by the Senate in 1951. But could the plan have been adopted, it would have assured a steady flow of non-prior-service men into the Organized Reserve components of the Nation to achieve the strength which was set forth in the President's plan. As has been the case in prior years, this compulsory feature of the President's plan for filling the ranks of the Reserve with non-prior-service men has not secured the approval of the other body.

I have felt that, out of simple fairness to the men who have already served in the Armed Forces, compulsory features for securing trainees are completely justified, and I have grave apprehension that it will be found necessary yet to resort to some such program before we can have a strong Reserve. However, I hope I am realistic enough to realize that at this late date in the session of Congress any effort to write a compulsory feature into this bill to bring it more nearly in line with the President's original recommendations would tend to jeopardize any legislation dealing with a more effective Reserve plan, and leave us exactly where we are at the present time.

There is no compulsion in this bill with respect to training of men who have had no prior service. The only compulsion in the measure is directed to those

51 Ibid., p. 311.

52 This matter was partially taken care of by Public Law 364, 84th Cong., 1st sess. (H. R. 7298) an act to authorize the States to organize and maintain State defense forces, and for other purposes. The act, approved August 11, 1955, did not contain all the provisions relating to the State militia which were in H. R. 2967. The text is as follows: "Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 61 of the National Defense Act, as amended (39 Stat. 198), is amended by adding the following subsection:

"(b) In addition to the Army National Guard and Air National Guard heretofore authorized by this Act, the States may, as provided by the laws of such State, organize and maintain State defense forces. State defense forces established under this section may not be called, ordered, or in any manner drafted, as such, into the Armed Forces of the United States. State defense forces may be used within their respec tive State borders as deemed necessary by the chief executive thereof. A member of a State defense force established under this section is not exempt from military service in the Armed Forces of the United States under any Federal law by reason of membership therein, and further, such member is not entitled to pay, allowances, subsistence, transportation, or medical care or treatment from Federal funds. No person may become a member of the Organized Militia established under this section if he is a member of the Reserve Forces as defined in section 101 of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952."

53 Providing for Strengthening of the Reserve Forces. Senate Rept. 840, 84th Cong., 1st sess. Report to accompany H. R. 7000, July 13, 1955, p. 2.