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| Program Number | S0478 |
| Title | The Draft and the American Political Posture |
| PBS Number | 1113 |
| Moderator | - |
| Host | Buckley, William F. (William Frank), 1925-2008. |
| Guest(s) | 1) Lehman, John. - Secretary of the Navy 2) Westmoreland, William C. (William Childs), 1914-2005. - General, U.S. Army (Ret.) 3) Nunn, Sam. - Democratic Senator from Georgia |
| Taped on | Sept 18, 1981 (Washington, DC) |
| Broadcast Date | Sept 27, 1981 |
| Duration | 60 minutes (or hh:mm:ss) |
| YouTube Video |
no YouTube clip available |
| Summary | In the imposing setting of the Senate Caucus Room, a serious discussion with men who have been deeply involved in U.S. military policy. They take up in greater detail the point raised by George Ball a few weeks earlier (Firing Line #S470): that the all- volunteer army may be damaging both to our own morale and to other countries' view of us. SN: "I don't think we're the kind of country that for very long will tolerate a system that is, in effect, economic conscription, and that's what we have now. We are not getting participation in the military, except in the officer corps, of middle- and certainly not upper-income America. If we ever have a war--and God forbid that--we would see very quickly, I think, very severe protests break out because it would be apparent that the son of the banker is not out there fighting and dying, the son of the mill worker is. That's not the kind of country we've been in the past, and I don't think it's the kind of country we can be in the future if we are going to deter war. I believe America's will is being questioned, not just by adversaries, but also by our allies." |
| Subject Heading(s) | Draft -- United States. Military service, Voluntary -- United States. United States -- Armed Forces -- Recruiting, enlistment, etc. |
| Related Document(s) | Type(s): Transcript Type(s): News releases, clippings, photos, negatives Type(s): Transcript, news release, research materials Type(s): Transcript |
| Purchase show | Program is unavailable on DVD at this time. |
| Transcript | Download transcript (80040_s0478_trans.pdf) |
