Objectors to Vietnam War Not Exempt, Says Hershey

Moral opposition to the ends or means of a specific war, as in Vietnam, will not excuse an individual from military service, the national director of the selective service said last night.

"I don't see how you can let individuals decide what war they're going to fight in," Lieutenant General Lewis B. Hershey told the Law School Forum. Only opposition to war in general "by training and belief," he said will be "paid some attention."

A leader of Students for a Democratic Society, John Maher '60, replied that, in that case "Some of us will go to jail, others will go into the Armed Forces because what we have to say should be brought to people there."

Maher argued that the undemocratic means used in the war in Vietnam--"force and violence"--would ultimately undermine democracy at home. "We don't intend to collaborate with the government," Maher said, "Silence is something we cannot afford today."

But Hershey insisted that if individuals were exempted because of opposition to the war in Vietnam "that would be chaotic anarchy, not democracy."

Draft to Trail Off

In an interview earlier, Hershey repeated the prediction he made on Wednesday that monthly draft calls will "trail off" from 45,000 to 30,000 in the next few months as a result of an increase in voluntary enlistments.

"We've got 200,000 husbands who have not been inducted yet," he said, "and I would expect quite a lot of activity in that area." There are also 2,000,000 registrants classified 1-Y, "who have been told they will have to serve if we need them."

If students must be reclassified, he added, standards of academic performance--class standing and nationally administered examinations--will be used "We want the colleges to clean their own stables," he said.