Griswold Asks Later Draft, Applauds Foreign Students

Law School Dean Erwin N. Griswold has called for a peace-time draft program which would by-pass youths of 18, and singled out the School's foreign students for special praise in his annual report for 1952-53.

Refuting the views of former President Conant, Griswold agreed with the principle of universal military training but asserted that "despite the approach of manhood, boys of eighteen are not men." Conant has always been a staunch advocate of "a universal military service law requiring every able-bodied young man to enter the armed forces at eighteen or on graduation from high school."

"In a non-militarist democracy," Griswold explained, "there is much to be said for not having such service at as young an age as eighteen." He added, however, that "military training at the close of college does not appear to be too early."

Such training in the absence of military necessity, Griswold feels, is largely wasted on younger men who as college graduates would have considerably more usefulness to the military in positions of greater responsibility. "It should not be forgotten," he points out, "that legal training can be of great value in connection with work in military service which is in no direct sense legal."

One World

Griswold also recommended increased financial support for the international studies being carried on largely by the School's 60 "remarkable" foreign students.

"There seems to be some reason to feel that one of the basic cleavages in this country is between those who recognize that we live in a world and those who would deny that fact," said the Dean.

Nineteen courses and seminars in the field of International Legal Studies are planned by the Law School for the coming year. "There is a steady demand for students with this training, both from public and from private employers," said Griswold, "and it is clear that we are filling a real need in providing this work.

1950 Record High

Concerning the large number of veterans in the School, figures in the report show that nearly 200 of the 525 students who entered in September, 1950 were veterans. Sixteen percent of the remaining 325 left the Law School for the armed services before completion of their degree requirements.

Since 1950's all-time high, the proportion of veterans has been gradually falling off to 25 percent, and will probably decline even more sharply once the supply of Korean War veterans dwindles.