Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, General; the United Nations, Volume I, Part 2

Editorial Note

On June 24, 1948, President Truman signed the Selective Service Act of 1948, “An Act to Provide for the Common Defense by Increasing the Strength of the Armed Forces of the United States, Including the Reserve Components Thereof,” Public Law 759, 80th Congress, 2nd Session, 62 Stat (pt. 1) 604. This legislation, passed by Congress on June 19, provided for the induction of enough 19–25 year olds to maintain the strength of the armed forces at 2,005,882. The Universal Military Training program sought by the Administration was not included. Rather, up to 161,000 18 year olds were permitted to avoid draft liability by volunteering for service of one year with regular forces followed by a reserve obligation.