9/16/2013:
On this date in 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Service and Training Act. War had been raging in Europe since 1939. The German military machine held much of Europe and was assaulting Great Britain.
The draft law came over a year before the U.S. entered the war after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. Thus, North Dakota, along with all other states, sent their young and eligible men to draft offices to sign up for potential service in a war that had not yet touched the U.S. The law required all healthful men between the ages of 21 and 35 to register for inclusion in the draft. Nationally, 16.5 million young men were in the pool for military training. Some men were exempted – ministers, theological students and government officials, plus those who had dependents and those working in vital industries.
Astute observers noted that those with health problems that would hinder military performance would be rejected. Men with flat feet, heart problems, poor vision, or bunions would not be taken by the draft. Nor would those with tuberculosis, ingrown toenails or enlarged tonsils.
The draft law passed despite the opposition of North Dakota Senator Gerald P. Nye. He believed it had been a mistake for the U.S. to get into the First World War, and Nye did not want us to get involved in another European war.
Senator Nye criticized FDR for having a “thoughtless” foreign policy. Nye charged that it was impossible to measure our “defense needs without a definitely known foreign policy.” Nye said the FDR administration was raising “hysteria” concerning a possible threat from Germany. During the draft debates, Secretary of War Henry Stimson said there was “a very grave danger of a direct attack on this country by Hitler.” Nye pointed out that Germany lacked sufficient ships to transport and supply enough soldiers to successfully invade.
Senator Nye feared that FDR, seeking an unprecedented third term, was becoming a dictator. This peacetime militarization was “mimicking Hitler to stop a fear of Hitler,” and FDR was “blasting our own democracy.”
Nye’s warnings went unheeded; and North Dakotans submitted to the draft. In Burleigh County alone, over 2,500 registered their names.
Dakota Datebook written by Christina Perleberg and Dr. Steve Hoffbeck, History Department, MSU Moorhead.
Sources: “This Day in History: Franklin Roosevelt Approved Military Draft, September 16, 1940,” History.com, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/franklin-roosevelt…, accessed on May 13, 2013.
“Only the Fit,” Bismarck Tribune, May 23, 1940, p. 6.
“Draft Bill in Brief,” Bismarck Tribune, September 14, 1940, p. 3.
“Register 2,598 Men in Burleigh,” Bismarck Tribune, October 18, 1940, p. 1.
“New Alterations Stall Draft Bill,” New York Times, August 2, 1940, p. 3.
“Tackles 3 Senators At Anti-Draft Rally,” New York Times, August 2, 1940, p. 3.
“Move to Speed Conscription Vote Fails on Refusal to Limit Talk,” New York Times, August 24, 1940, p. 1, 5.
“Mr. Nye Finds It Funny,” New York Times, August 27, 1940, p. 20.
“Nye Charges U.S. Gave War Signal,” New York Times, August 28, 1940, p. [3 or 8].”
“Nye Quotes Tribune Editorial in Debate,” Bismarck Tribune, August 26, 1940, p. 2