ACE'S STATEMENT

Statement by Logan Wilson, president of the American Council on Education:

Although it may be a relief to many institutions of higher learning and their students to end uncertainty about the status of graduate students' deferments under the Selective Service Law of 1967, the announced decision of the National Security Council creates more problems than it solves. In addition to the handicap it places on advanced level education, its implications for the language-trained manpower needs of the nation are alarming. The decision means that most college graduates in 1968 and students ending their first year of graduate school in 1968 will be drafted in the near future.

The National Security Council has taken the position that it is not in the nation's interest to provide deferments for graduate students in any fields other than medicine, dentistry, and other allied medical specialties. In my judgment, this is a short-sighted decision. If it remains unchanged, it inevitably will cause serious shortages in the trained manpower on which the future of the United States vitally depends.

Speaking for the American Council on Education, I would urge that the Administration and the Congress consider a system of random selection at the earliest possible moment. With a carefully devised system our nation can confront more realistically its future needs for trained manpower while also maintaining fairness and equity for all who may be subject to call.