Hershey Demands UMT Or Substitute Program

Major General Lewis B. Hershey pressed the opposition speaker, Edwin Randall, on the question, "If not UMT, then what?" when the two spoke last night at the Law Forum on the topic, "UMT in America's Future." Isadore H. T. Muchnick '28 was moderator.

Randall declined several times to answer Hershey's question, but charged that the army is selling to the country a universal military program in time of peace in order to insure its own future.

"When peace comes," Randall said, "there will be still an army control over every boy, perhaps even every girl, not only for six months but for eight years." Randall referred to the reserve period of seven and a half years which would supplement a six month training program.

Against Present System

Asked if he favors the present selective service system, Randall stated, "I am not advocating the selective service system. The present selective service system," he said, "is not under discussion."

To counter Randall's accusation, Hershey said that "I would not like to see this country become a place which is dependent on a large mercenary army, navy, or air force."

Asked if he felt that six months were a sufficient training period. Hershey said that "at the present time we have many people who are training zero. After we start with six months, I am willing to see it go further."

Randall Mentions Law

Randall spoke of a law by which servicemen of World War II should have been put into the reserve automatically upon discharge. "If the law had been respected, the United States would have had a reserve of from 10 to 12 million. The military violated the law which Congress gave them." Hershey did not answer this charge.

Randall emphasized that the way to peace is not through the maintainence of a large military camp, but rather by extending goodwill to foreign peoples. Hershy countered by saying that "unpreparedness in the past has never staved off war."