The Amnesty Issue: A Historical Perspective
Abstract
The question of the utility or futility of amnesty has been posed by the refusal of a small percentage of America's youth to serve in the Armed Forces. Some said No to the Selective Service System-they evaded involuntary induction into the military. Some said No to a military superior--they call themselves self-retired veterans; the military calls them deserters. Other servicemen--volunteers as well as conscripts, commissioned officers as well as enlisted men--have been confined to military prisons, convicted of such violations as refusing assignment to combat duty in Southeast Asia, soliciting other service personnel to desert, making disloyal statements, and sedition. Amnesty for American draft evaders and deserters of the Vietnam era is one of the most sensitive of contemporary issues. To place this problem in its proper perspective, it is necessary to set aside the emotionally charged question of the rightness or wrongness of US participation in the Vietnam conflict. Similarly we need not now determine the degree of innocence or guilt of those who would not go. What must be done is to leaf through the pages of history and take note of how Washington, Lincoln, Truman, and other presidents of the United States addressed amnesty. They, too, found it to be an extremely controversial issue, for amnesty has always stirred deep emotions in American hearts. By a careful consideration of the motives underlying past grants of amnesty, perhaps we can anticipate more intelligently the timing, the recipients, and the conditions of any future proclamation of amnesty. At the very least, a historical review will reveal the extent to which amnesty has become a part of our political heritage; perhaps the insight gained from such an examination will contribute to enlightened opinion concerning the merits of amnesty for those who refused to serve in the Armed Forces in the 1960's and 70's.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA531961
Entities
People
- Wilfred L. Ebel
Organizations
- United States Army War College